Kazakhstan Backs SCO Observer Status for Afghanistan

    Astana backs granting observer status at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kazykhanov said on May 11, while speaking at the regular meeting of the Council of SCO Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Beijing, China.
    “Kazakhstan is interested in the sustainable and stable development of Afghanistan. Kazakhstan is an active supporter of Kabul to be involved in the regional integration processes. We believe that by providing the observer status to Kabul we will strengthen the economic and humanitarian cooperation with Afghanistan,” Kazykhanov says.
    Expressing concern about the current situation in Afghanistan and stressing that peace and stability in the SCO responsibility zone depends on the internal situation of this country, the ministers of SCO member states decided to submit the issue of the Afghan bid for observer status to the agenda of the SCO Council of Heads of States which is to be held in Beijing on June 6-7, 2012.
    The ministers also submitted the issue of granting the status of SCO dialogue partner to the Turkish Republic for the consideration by SCO Council of Heads of States.
    The members of the SCO are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The organization was founded as the Shanghai Five in 1996 and changed its name in 2001 after Uzbekistan joined, Kazakhstan’s MFA said.