On February 6, 2026, at the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Beijing, Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev met with Nicholas von Arx, Regional Director of the International Committee of the Red Cross for the Middle East.
During the meeting, the Secretary General briefed his interlocutor on cooperation among the SCO member states in the humanitarian sphere, as well as on the relevant documents adopted within the framework of the Organization.
The Regional Director informed about the activities of the ICRC, including the provision of humanitarian assistance in areas such as the Gaza Strip, Yemen, Syria, as well as on the African continent.
The Secretary General noted that concern over the situation in the Gaza Strip and around the Palestinian-Israeli conflict had been expressed twice by the Heads of State in the Tianjin and Astana Declarations of the SCO Council of Heads of State.
The sides exchanged views on the possibilities of expanding contacts between the SCO Secretariat and the ICRC on the basis of the provisions of the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding.
The meeting was held in a constructive atmosphere.