A meeting of the secretaries of the security councils of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states is scheduled to take place in Astana on April 2-3, 2024, Aibek Smadiarov, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, said during a press conference.
Smadiarov said, "The 19th meeting of the secretaries of the security councils of the SCO member states will be held in Astana on April 2-3, 2024. Kazakhstan will preside over the upcoming event. Also, the event will mark the first time that Iran will participate as a full-fledged SCO member state."
Mongolia and Belarus, observer states of the SCO, have been invited to attend the event as guests.
According to Smadiarov, "During this meeting, participants plan to discuss pressing international issues within the SCO's area of responsibility. These topics include cooperative efforts against the 'three evils' (terrorism, separatism, and extremism), illegal drug and psychotropic substance trafficking, transnational organized crime, information security, and enhanced collaboration within multilateral organizations such as the UN, CICA [Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia], and CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization]."
Following the event, a protocol of the meeting of the secretaries of the SCO member countries' Security Councils is expected to be signed. This protocol will reflect the common approaches of the states towards further developing multilateral partnerships on regional and international security issues.
The official spokesperson for the ministry explained that the upcoming meeting aligns with Kazakhstan's long-term interests in promoting regional partnership for security and stability. He added that the meeting aims to increase the level of multilateral cooperation within the SCO and foster close political dialogue in countering challenges and threats with key partners in the region.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Andrey Kudryashov/Fergana News Agency/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS