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Source: SCO to continue attracting Afghanistan to organisation

MOSCOW, January 16, 5:25 /ITAR-TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will continue attracting Afghanistan to its activities, Russia’s presidential envoy on SCO Kirill Barsky said.

“While the Western coalition is about to leave Afghanistan, though they claim they will stay there, SCO is not leaving (the region),” he said. “The work we have begun on involving Afghanistan in SCO’s activities will continue long-term. Thus, it is very important to have Afghanistan join the organisation’s other directions, not only the security.”

He gave an example of cooperation the Memorandum on organisation of an energy club, which Afghanistan signed on December 6, 2013. Kabul, he continued as saying, from the very beginning had claimed it was interested in the economic cooperation in the framework of SCO.

“SCO is open for a wide international cooperation on Afghanistan,” Barsky said. “As the coalition is leaving that country, the regional format begins playing a more important role.