The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states have called on all sides of the Afghan conflict to refrain from using force, SCO foreign ministers said in a joint statement on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2021) The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states have called on all sides of the Afghan conflict to refrain from using force, SCO foreign ministers said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The two-day SCO Foreign Ministers Council started in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on Tuesday.
"We urge all parties involved in the conflict in Afghanistan to refrain from using force and actions that could lead to destabilization and unpredictable consequences in the areas of Afghanistan's borders with the SCO member states," the joint statement, released by the Russian foreign ministry on Telegram, read.
SCO foreign ministers advocated "the formation of Afghanistan as an independent, neutral, united, peaceful, democratic and prosperous state," calling peace and stability in the country "one of the main factors in ensuring security in the SCO region."
Ministers reiterated the SCO's readiness to further cooperate with Afghanistan to fight terrorism and drug-related crime, as well as counter other threats to the regional security.
"We confirm the position of the SCO member states that there is no alternative to the settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan but through political dialogue and the implementation of an inclusive peace process by the Afghans themselves and under the leadership of the Afghans themselves," the statement read.
