Rabbani stresses Afghanistan’s full membership at SCO

KABUL’s bid for full membership.

Addressing the Ambassadors of the member-states of the SCO here, he said: “The sooner we are a full member, the more we will be able to contribute to the SCO efforts to further enhance regional economic and security cooperation.”

Highlighting Afghanistan’s geographical importance Rabbani said as the Heart of Asia, Afghanistan was a natural land-bridge in the SCO region, connecting the member-states with each other and providing land-routes for goods from East Asia to Europe, as well as serving as a hub for the Silk Road’s trade and transit routes.

He added Connectivity could improve regional economic cooperation, spurring economic growth and development of the region for integration.

“In the coming years, we look forward to achieving full membership of the SCO, on which we need the support of all of you, as you rendered such support to India and Pakistan, which acquired full membership in 2017,” he said. 

“With these potentials for security and economic cooperation in mind, I renew our call for your kind support to expedite Afghanistan’s full membership of the SCO,” he said.

Referring to the war against terrorism he said, “Our region is facing numerous security challenges. Terrorism remains our primary concern, as the Afghan people have borne the brunt of attacks by terrorist networks, which continue to find easy and safe havens in the region.”

“That is why we must cooperate under the SCO umbrella to fight this transnational menace,” he stressed.

The protocol on counter-terrorism cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the SCO in 2015.

He said Afghanistan was committed to fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism, while exchanging our experience and public information analysis with the RATS.

“I am confident that our full membership in the SCO would enable us to do more, working with others more closely to achieve the intended goals of the RATS against the common security threats facing the SCO member-states,” he believed.

nh

Views: 11