BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and a joint summit of the leaders of the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization(CSTO) member states on the Afghanistan issue by video link on Friday.
Analysts believe that China is expected to contribute its wisdom to enhance cooperation with other influential regional powers including Russia on the Afghan issue that are likely to dominate the summits in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday applauded the SCO’s fruitful achievements on its 20th anniversary, calling the system an innovative model to promote regional cooperation and common prosperity.
The Foreign Ministry said Xi and other leaders will summarize the successful experience of SCO and exchange ideas on SCO cooperation and major international and regional affairs.
Emomali Rakhmon, President of Tajikistan, expressed willingness to strengthen communication with China on the Afghan issue to further protect regional peace when he met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in Tajikistan to attend the SCO meeting.
The SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group has been established to bring Afghanistan closer to the SCO, considering Afghanistan, a current observer member of the grouping, is interested in becoming a full member, observers said.
The summits in Dushanbe gather most of Afghanistan’s neighbors’ leaders for the first time after the Taliban announced an interim government. A joint declaration on Afghanistan issues may come out of the summit, experts said.
The SCO is believed to be an effective tool in solving the challenges brought by political changes in Afghanistan, as the group covers almost all important regional stakeholders who come as either official members or observers, Wang Shida, an expert from Contemporary International Relations Research Academy of China, told the Global Times.
– The Daily Mail-Global Times News exchange item
