The 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on the theme ‘Towards a SECURE SCO’ kicked off on Tuesday.
Leaders at the online summit called for mutual trust, solidarity, exchanges, economic recovery while safeguarding common security of the member states.
A joint declaration by the leaders at the end of the online summit also said SCO members oppose bloc, ideological and confrontational approaches to address problems and security challenges.
Expressing concern about the situation in Afghanistan, the leaders said they consider “it essential to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of representatives of all ethnic, religious and political groups in Afghan society”.
This year, the SCO summit welcomed Iran as a new member of the organization. Iran at the 23rd SCO summit became the ninth member of the interstate association. The process of Belarus joining the SCO as a full member will be completed in 2024.
According to regional experts the 23rd SCO Summit brought diverse perspectives on key regional issues like Afghanistan, Ukraine conflict, enhancing cooperation among SCO members, and trade connectivity.
During the meeting, the leaders deliberated on important global and regional issues and chart the future direction of cooperation among SCO member states.
