Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said that the SCO countries should step-up coordination and encourage Afghanistan to put in place an inclusive political framework wedded to moderate policies and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism after the Taliban takeover of Kabul.
Addressing the 21st summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at Dushanbe via video link, Xi said, “Afghanistan has undergone drastic changes”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the summit via video link and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the meeting of the eight-member bloc comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
Xi, in his address without naming the Taliban, said: “the withdrawal of foreign troops has opened a new page in its history. But Afghanistan still faces many daunting challenges, and it needs the support and assistance of the international community, particularly countries in our region.”
“We, the SCO member states, need to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan.
“We need to encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, adopt prudent and moderate domestic and foreign policies, resolutely fight all forms of terrorism, live in amity with its neighbours and truly embark on a path of peace, stability and development,” he said.
China, which has maintained contacts with the Taliban before and after it took over power in Kabul in mid-August, has announced a $31 million aid for food and vaccines for Afghanistan.
Though it has not yet formally announced its recognition to the interim Government of the Taliban, China along with Pakistan and Russia has kept its embassy open in Kabul. Its envoy formally met the officials of the interim Government.
Xi also said that the SCO countries “need to follow the journey of upholding our common security”.
“Faced with complex and fluid security dynamics in the region, we need to pursue common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and take tough actions against terrorism, separatism and extremism,” he said.
He particularly named the Uygur militant organisation, the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which is fighting for the independence of the volatile Xinjiang province where the US and the EU countries accuse China of committing human rights violations against the native Uygur Muslims.
China has asked the Taliban not to permit the ETIM in Afghanistan to stage attacks on Xinjiang which shares borders with the war-ravaged country.
Later, addressing the joint summit of the leaders of the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) member states on the Afghanistan issue via video link, Xi called for efforts to promote a steady transition of Afghan situation, engage Afghanistan in dialogues and help the Afghan people tide over difficulties.
Founded in 1992, the CSTO groups six former Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, with the aim of safeguarding peace and stability in Eurasia.
Member states of the SCO and the CSTO should join hands to safeguard peace and stability, which are “more precious than gold,” Xi said.
Relevant parties in Afghanistan should be urged to resolutely crack down on and eradicate terrorist organisations in the Afghan territory and prevent terrorist forces in Afghanistan from wreaking havoc, the Chinese President said.
China will provide the Afghan people with timely humanitarian and medical support in fighting Covid-19, Xi said.
Xi, in his speech, said that the SCO countries need to strengthen cooperation on counter-narcotics, border control and security for major events, and speedily improve the SCO’s security cooperation mechanism.
