KABUL (SW) – Afghanistan would be at the heart of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s ‘Afghanistan Contact Group’ meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Wednesday.
The SCO members would also attend “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” conference in this connection.
Hamed Tehzeeb, deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Salam Watandar that the Shanghai meeting will be held tomorrow with the presence of foreign ministers in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. According to him, foreign minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar has gone to Tajikistan to attend the meeting and would address this important meeting.
The MFA has said that at this meeting, Afghanistan’s membership in the SCO is likely to be discussed, as well as other matters related to counter-terrorism and regional cooperation.
Meanwhile, a number of political analysts believe that the SCO membership is key for Afghanistan.
Muhib Sharif, an analyst, said that Afghanistan’s membership at the SCO would help the country politically and economically.
It should be noted that Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and India, are members of the Shanghai Organization and Afghanistan’s foreign ministers, Iran and some other countries participate as an observer at the meeting.
Afghanistan has observer status with SCO, which includes India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Though the focus of the conference in Uzbekistan is on regional trade and connectivity, the presence of top leaders will provide opportunities for the Indian side to discuss the situation in Afghanistan on the margins of the meeting.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is expected to attend the meeting in Tashkent.
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