The Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Nurlan Yermekbayev announced this week that an SCO High Level Consultation will take place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan over Sept. 11-12, with a focus on Afghanistan. He stated, “A comprehensive exchange of views is planned regarding the current situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the region.” The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted him as saying Aug. 30, “Issues such as women’s rights, social instability, and the persistent threat of terrorism remain unresolved.” Despite serious economic initiatives, the need is great for more support and humanitarian aid.
The meeting in Dushanbe, the Tajikistan capital, can be a welcome opportunity for potentially new kinds of cooperation among Afghanistan’s neighbors to support stability, security, and economic progress in that nation. Yermakbayev observed that currently, Afghanistan’s foreign relations are on a nation-by-nation basis of bilateral dealings, rather than coordinated through an institution like the SCO. Moscow now has full diplomatic relations with Kabul, Afghanistan.
