The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold its 22nd summit in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand from Sep 15-16. At the event, the leaders of the SCO member countries will come together for the first time in three years in a face-to-face format.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) says Afghanistan has yet to be invited to the summit.
“The Islamic Emirate has always had good relations with the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). We hope this summit has good results so there will be progress via negotiations and diplomatic cooperation regarding the issues within the Islamic Emirate,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who’s currently periodic chairperson of SCO, said that Afghanistan is an integral part of the larger SCO space, adding that all members of the SCO were their strategic partners, friends and closest neighbors.
“The Afghan people need good neighbors and their support now more than ever. It is our moral obligation to extend a helping hand, to offer them effective ways of overcoming the years-long crisis by promoting socio-economic growth of the country, its integration into regional and global development processes,” he said.
For Afghanistan, it is a good opportunity to make efforts to play a key role in paving the way for connecting the Central Asian countries to the South Asian countries.
The construction of the inter-Afghan corridor can bring big changes in the region and it can change to a symbol of multilateral cooperation between countries in the region. It is also important to understand that by implementing joint infrastructure projects such as the Tirmaz-Mazar-e-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway, we not only solve social, economic, and transportation problems but we also contribute significantly to ensuring regional security.
The SCO is made up of China, Russia, India, Pakistan, as well as four central Asian countries- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. SCO is known as the world’s largest and most populous regional institution, covering approximately 60% of the area of Eurasia, 40% of the world population, and more than 30% of the global GDP.
According to SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, many countries are interested in joining SCO. Iran is likely to sign a Memorandum of Obligations to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a member.
Belarus has also applied for membership. In addition, memorandums on granting dialogue partner status will be signed with Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The approval of applications for partner status is also expected with Bahrain and the Maldives.
During the Summit held this week on Thursday and Friday, the leaders are expected to review the organization’s activities over the past two decades and discuss the state and prospects of multilateral cooperation. Topical issues of regional and global importance are also expected to be discussed at the meeting.
Zarabi
SCO summit to discuss Afghanistan political & security situation
