Foreign ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member nations met in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, on May 22.
The meeting participants included Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Chingiz Aidarbekov, Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, Kazakhstan’s Beibut Atamkulov, Uzbekistan’s Abdulaziz Kamilov, Tajikistan’s Sirodjidin Muhriddin, India’s Sushma Swaraj, Pakistan’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi and SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov.
Kyrgyz foreign minister told reporters after the meeting that they had signed a medium-term roadmap for the development of cooperation between the SCO secretariat and the observer states and dialogue partner countries.
Aidarbekov also said the participants exchanged views on regional and international issues.
According to SCO’s website, the ministers also noted the desire of India, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to bid be non-permanent seats in the UN Security Council as well as the desire of Kazakhstan, China, Russia and Uzbekistan to bid for seats in the UN Human Rights Council.
Recall, a source in the Tajik government told Asia-Plus in June last year that Tajikistan is expected to be elected as non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the period of 2028-2029.
The member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) reportedly supported Tajikistan’s intention to nominate its candidacy for non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council.
Under the Charter, the UN Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members, and each Member has one vote. Under the Charter, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.
China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States are the permanent members of the UN Security Council and ten non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term date).
The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
The Security Council also recommends to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-General and the admission of new Members to the United Nations. And, together with the General Assembly, it elects the judges of the International Court of Justice.
