The 21 st SCO summit in Tajikistan’s capital city of Dushanbe on the 16 th and 17 th of September was attended by leaders of all member states (Russia, China and India joined virtually), and also by the recently elected Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as Iran’s formal induction process as a full member of the SCO began. But, there was no delegation from Afghanistan, an observer state since 2012 and the country that poses the biggest challenge to the SCO since its inception. As the SCO celebrates 20 years of its existence, the summit presented a befitting opportunity to address some major issues surrounding Afghanistan. Therefore, amidst discussions pertaining to the enhancement of socio-economic cooperation, climate change, coping with the effects of the pandemic etc., unsurprisingly, Afghanistan featured quite prominently on the agenda. While different SCO countries face different as well as shared threats from the situation in the country, in line with a statement released by the SCO Secretariat on 26 th August, the member states re-affirmed their commitment to build a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan free of terrorism, warfare and drugs. The member states conveyed the willingness to coordinate among each other through different mechanisms such as the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), SCO Contact Group, CSTO, extended Troika, Moscow Talks etc. to tackle threats arising out of Afghanistan. They also expressed their readiness to take part in international efforts towards Afghanistan’s stabilization and development, with the United Nations playing a central role. However, the contemporary economic instability that persists in Afghanistan, combined with the unlikely prospects of international recognition for this Taliban regime anytime soon, presents a unique and complicated challenge for the SCO.
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- India
