Frist Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Nizomiddin Zohidi, led the Tajik delegation to the meeting of SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group that took place in Beijing on May 28, according to the Tajik MFA information department.
Tajikistan shared its perspectives on the situation in Afghanistan, including threats and challenges posed to the regional security.
The meeting was held at the level of deputy foreign ministers and its participants discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and exchanged views on measures to support Afghan authorities’ efforts to establish peace and stability in the country and promote reconstruction of Afghanistan’s economy.
The meeting participants also proposed to work out the roadmap for expansion of cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Afghanistan.
In accordance with protocol signed in Beijing on November 4, 2005, The Contact Group between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is established with the purpose of elaborating proposals and recommendations on realization of cooperation between the SCO and Afghanistan on issues of mutual interest.
The Contact Group consists of Permanent Representatives of member states to the SCO Secretariat, Secretariat officers and senior diplomats of Afghanistan’s Embassy in Beijing.
The SCO was founded at a Summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization currently has eight full members — China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, India, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia are four observer states, and SCO’s dialogue partners include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey. ACEAN, CIS, Turkmenistan and the United Nations are guest attendances.
