The SCO Secretariat participates in the 8th Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference

On 9 December 2019, Istanbul, Turkey, hosted the 8th Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference attended by delegations from 31 countries and 12 international organisations.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan addressed the opening ceremony, underscoring the importance of continued international assistance to Afghanistan in keeping with the agreements reached at the Geneva Conference in November 2018. They remarked that it was necessary to intensify the infra-Afghan negotiating process with an eye to reducing violence in the country and in order to promote regional cooperation based on interstate solidarity with an aim of solving the problems facing Afghanistan and neighbouring regions.

The conference was also attended by acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Idrees Zaman, Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu, Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Mukhriddin, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways of India Vijay Kumar Singh, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Shakhrat Nuryshev, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Nurlan Abdrakhmanov, Special Envoy on the Afghan Affairs of the PRC Foreign Ministry Deng Xijun, Special Representative of the President of Russia for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, Special Representative of the President of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev, as well as ambassadors and heads of departments of related ministries and international institutions.

SCO Secretariat Political Adviser Habib Munir delivered a message of greetings on behalf of SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov.

The message reflected the SCO's main approaches to an early settlement in Afghanistan as enshrined in the Bishkek Declaration approved by the SCO Summit in June. It also stressed the need for the continued operation of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group due to implement the Roadmap of its own making.

"Our cooperation with Kabul has a clear legal basis. Afghanistan is actively involved in the SCO's activities as an observer. The SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group is stepping up its operations to implement the Roadmap that was approved earlier this year. This instrument is aimed at opposing Afghanistan-based international terrorist organisations and the threats they pose to the SCO space and cooperating with the Afghan authorities in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal migration," the message said.

It also pointed out the importance of involving the Afghan partners in regional projects meant to incentivise the country's economic revival.

"The long-term strategy in relation to Afghanistan requires that its territory be regarded not only as a source of extraterritorial threats but also as a space of opportunities. One of the key factors of Afghanistan's post-conflict economic revival is to be its involvement in the process of building regional transport arteries as part of the integration of the Greater Eurasian Partnership idea, the Belt and Road initiative, and the SCO member-states' own national strategies.

"For example, the Hairatan — Mazar-i-Sharif railway and the planned Mazar-i-Sharif — Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif — Peshawar routes could form a new transit corridor whereby Eurasian states might directly access southern seaports in India,

Iran and Pakistan," Vladimir Norov said (the full text of his message follows below).

The ministerial conference adopted the Istanbul Declaration that welcomed the resumption of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group's operations following the 2017 Astana Summit and the signing of its Roadmap on the sidelines of the latest Bishkek Summit. The document also praised the fact that the Contact Group had held its first three meetings in the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China and the Kyrgyz Republic and recognised Afghanistan's wish to become a full member of the SCO.

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to express gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the invitation to the 8th Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is ready for further collaboration with this important regional initiative that has gained a reputation of one of the most important international venues intended to assist Afghanistan's revival.

There is no doubt about the urgency of this conference. The situation concerning the country's security continues to deteriorate. This year has set a record in terms of terrorist attacks committed by local militants. The growing number of terrorists in Afghanistan's border areas, whence they can threaten neighbouring states, including SCO countries, is a source of serious concern. It is for this reason that the Bishkek Declaration adopted by the last SCO Summit has expressed a striving for an early settlement in that country as a key factor in maintaining and strengthening security and stability in the entire SCO space.

I would like to note that our cooperation with Kabul has a clear legal basis. Afghanistan is actively involved in the SCO's activities as an observer. The SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group is stepping up its operations to implement the Roadmap that was approved earlier this year. This instrument is aimed at opposing Afghanistan-based international terrorist organisations and the threats they pose to the SCO space, cooperating with the Afghan authorities in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal migration, and facilitating the country's economic revival.

Colleagues,

It is important to stress that the settlement of the intra-Afghan conflict is only possible through a political dialogue and an inclusive peace process to be led and implemented by the Afghans themselves. In this context, we attach special importance to further pro-active collaboration within the negotiating formats established by SCO countries, including the Moscow format consultations.

Combating the growing symbiosis of terrorism, drug trafficking and trans-border organised crime, the proceeds of which fuel the activities of the local armed groups is also an inalienable part of the SCO's efforts to stabilise the situation in Afghanistan and ensure comprehensive security for the region as a whole.

In this connection, we think it is necessary to maintain and expand stable ties, including prompt information exchanges, between the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure and the relevant authorities in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

To coordinate global and regional efforts to cut short challenges and threats coming from Afghan territory, we are actively collaborating with UN agencies. On 19 November 2019, New York City was the venue of a special UN-SCO event at which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for stronger cooperation between the two organisations to ensure security and stability throughout Eurasia. In addition, the SCO is a key regional partner of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in the fight against the spread of Afghan opiates. We regularly hold joint events on the sidelines of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs. We organise expert meetings as part of the Paris Pact Initiative, the latest of which was held in Shanghai in late November of this year. We are happy that our Afghan colleagues regularly take an active part in these events.

Friends,

The long-term strategy relating to Afghanistan requires that its territory be regarded not only as a source of extraterritorial threats but also as a space of opportunities. The country's unique geographical location makes it possible to link the Middle East as well as North, East, Central and South Asia by trade and economic ties via its territory.

One of the key factors of Afghanistan's post-conflict economic revival is to be its involvement in the process of building regional transport arteries as part of the integration of the Greater Eurasian Partnership idea, the Belt and Road initiative, and the SCO member-states' own national strategies.

For example, the Hairatan — Mazar-i-Sharif railway and the planned Mazar-i-Sharif — Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif — Peshawar routes could form a new transit corridor whereby Eurasian states might directly access southern seaports in India, Iran and Pakistan.

It is noteworthy that the first freight train left the Afghan border town of Hairatan on 5 September 2019 and headed for China via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. This event is the first graphic example of how the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group implements its Roadmap.

In conclusion, I would like to reaffirm our openness to dialogue and practical collaboration on Afghanistan with all international and regional stakeholders. We are calling for a more intense, inclusive multilateral cooperation for the purpose of stabilising and developing that country, with the central coordinating role of the UN.

Thank you for your attention.