The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit opens today, Monday, in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, with the participation of the prime ministers of Pakistan and India, as well as the presidents of Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, Tajikistan and other member states.
The two-day summit is scheduled to continue tomorrow, with discussions expected to focus on regional security, economic cooperation, connectivity and the future of the organization.
The summit is being held under the theme, “25 Years of the Organization: A Shared Journey Toward Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.”
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, operating under the country’s president, has called for the resumption of activities by the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and expressed support for the move.
Tashkent has described Afghanistan as an integral part of Central Asia and considers the country’s stability and development an important part of the SCO’s security cooperation agenda.
The SCO has 10 permanent member states, 15 dialogue partners, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and two observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia.
Afghanistan is expected to be considered for permanent membership in the organization in the future.