KABUL Contact Group to boost stability in the Asian country through dialogue between parties to the conflict.
SCO leaders met in Astana, the Kazakh capital, for the organization’s annual summit.
“It is evident a military solution to the Afghan conflict has no future,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin during the plenary session.
He said Moscow, like all other SCO members, favored a political solution through agreements between Afghans themselves
The SCO, Putin added, must step up cooperation with Afghanistan, the United Nations and other international organizations, especially in the wake of growing drug production in the conflict-ridden nation.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev also spoke for dialogue between Afghan authorities and the rebel Taliban movement, adding that stability in Afghanistan was in the interests of the entire region.
Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani, whose country holds observer status in the organization, backed SCO strategies in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking.
Ghani said it was possible to radically reduce the presence of terror groups in Afghanistan, and that it needed to be done faster. He also urged for collective measures to counter transnational terror.
On the sidelines of the meeting, President Ashraf Ghani and SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov met before noon. The two leaders discussed various issues of the region and the importance of the SCO leaders meeting.
“We’re paying special attention to Afghanistan,” Alimov told the Afghan leader. He said Afghanistan was mentioned in the joint statement of the SCO 17th summit.
He said Afghanistan had great potential and oppurtinaites for future development and prosperity. He expressed his willing to visit Afghanistan.
President Ghani briefed the meeting about the ‘Kabul Process’ and its maiden session was attended by representatives from various countries.
He said the Kabul Process provided a platform to participants for a comprehensive dialogue on regional cooperation.
Ghani said Asia’s stability and peace was linked to peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He said they held positive view about regional cooperation for peace and stability, but terrorism needed to be tackled jointly.
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