Summits of two international associations — the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) — take place on Thursday in the capital of Tajikistan. Khovar Tajik news agency reports.
On September 16 −17, the capital of Tajikistan will host a session of the CSTO Collective Security Council and the 20th jubilee SCO summit, chaired by the President of the country Emomali Rahmon. Tajikistan is chairing both organizations this year.
The heads of most of the countries — members of the associations will arrive in the capital of Tajikistan and will speak at the events in person. This decision, in particular, was made by the leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as the heads of the SCO and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure. Some heads of state will participate in the summits via video link. So, the Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he was forced to self-isolate due to contacts with infected with coronavirus in his environment. He will remotely participate in events taking place in Dushanbe. The leaders of India, China, Mongolia and the UN Secretary General will also participate in the meetings via video link.
At the session of the Collective Security Council, the leaders of the CSTO countries are expected to discuss topical issues of international and regional security and the main results of the organization’s activities in the intersessional period. One of the most important issues will be the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the security of the organization’s states.
The situation in Afghanistan will become one of the central topics of another event — the 20th SCO summit. It will also begin on Thursday, but the main events will take place on its second day, on Friday.
So, a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO member states will be held on September 17 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the organization’s creation. It is expected that the leaders will also consider the results of the association’s work and the prospects for further interaction. The agenda will also include issues related to the pandemic and overcoming its consequences.
The leaders of the CSTO and SCO countries, as the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan previously reported, will also hold their first general meeting in Dushanbe on September 17 under the chairmanship of the President of the republic.
