United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that he looks forward to “working with all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to support the Afghan people in all areas.”
This came in a video message sent by Guterres to the participants in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, which started on Thursday and ends on Friday, on ways to expand political cooperation, coordinate foreign policy positions, and enhance internal unity and mutual trust among the member states of the group.
Guterres added, in his message: “The worrying developments in Afghanistan have caused profound political, economic and security problems, and humanitarian challenges, especially as the situation is developing rapidly and unpredictably.”
He pointed out that “the United Nations is committed to providing assistance to the Afghan people, and we look forward to working with all of you to provide support to this people in all areas, and solidarity is needed now more than ever.”
“The work of regional organizations, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, is critical to meeting our common challenges, and I am proud that our cooperation is getting stronger every day,” the Secretary-General said.
The SCO includes Russia, India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia have observer status, and Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka are the dialogue partners of the organization.
