Afghanistan holds an observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). In the past, former Afghan presidents participated in SCO meetings. However, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that Afghanistan has not been invited to the upcoming SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting, set to take place in Islamabad on October 15, 2024. According to the Foreign Minister, Afghanistan’s observer status has been largely suspended or inactive since 2021, when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August. An Afghan official mentioned that their government has not attended any SCO meetings since then. After a meeting last year, Suhail Shaheen, head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, requested an invitation to future SCO meetings.
The SCO has a contact group dedicated to Afghanistan, but no country has officially recognized the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate government. Despite this, the Taliban government is sometimes invited to participate in various international and regional forums. Afghanistan is often mentioned in the joint statements of the SCO. While there may be legal and technical hurdles to inviting Afghanistan, given that SCO member states are regional countries, some argue that the Afghan interim government should have been invited. It’s worth noting that Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the Moscow Format meeting in Russia on October 4 and the Islamic Cooperation Organization’s foreign ministers’ conference in Cameroon in August.
The 23rd SCO Summit is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 15-16, 2024. Ten SCO member countries will participate, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus. Mongolia will participate as an observer, and Turkmenistan will attend as a special guest.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair the summit, with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar also attending. Discussions will focus on topics such as economic cooperation, trade, connectivity, and regional security.
There are differing opinions on Afghanistan exclusion from the summit. Some experts suggest that legal and technical issues may have contributed to the decision, while others believe it was due to the lack of recognition of the Taliban government. Afghanistan’s current situation and its relationship with the international community likely played a role in the decision.
Despite Afghanistan being mentioned in the SCO summit discussions, the decision not to invite the Taliban government reflects the complexities involved in dealing with a regime that is not recognized internationally. Regional security and Afghanistan’s stability remain key issues, and the summit offers an important platform for regional cooperation and addressing these challenges.
Even without Afghanistan participation, the summit is expected to be an essential platform for strengthening cooperation among SCO member states and addressing regional concerns.