Shanghai Organization Member Blocks Taliban’s Full Membership Bid
Vladimir Kaboľov, Russia’s special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, has announced that the explicit opposition of one member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has halted the process of the Taliban administration’s participation in the organization. In an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, without naming the country, he said that decision-making in the SCO is based on consensus, and the opposition of a single member has prevented the start of Kabul’s full membership process.
According to Izvestia, Pakistan is currently considered the main opponent of the Taliban administration’s presence in the meetings and activities of this regional organization. This comes amid tensions in relations between the Taliban and Islamabad since last summer, due to border clashes, missile attacks, and accusations related to the presence of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan militants on Afghan soil, with reciprocal airstrikes continuing.
Afghanistan has been an observer member of the SCO since 2012; however, after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Kabul’s representatives have effectively ceased attending official meetings of the organization. According to the report, Afghanistan’s last official presence in the SCO framework dates back to 2020.
Kaboľov said Taliban administration officials seek full membership in the SCO, and some members are in contact and interaction with them; however, the consensus-based decision-making structure has complicated this process.
Aside from Pakistan’s probable opposition, Russian experts have pointed to a greater obstacle: the lack of international recognition of the Taliban administration by all members of this bloc. They believe that until all ten primary SCO members recognize the Taliban administration, an official invitation for Kabul to participate in high-level meetings will not be possible, highlighting the ongoing challenge of the Taliban’s political legitimacy both regionally and globally.
Despite these obstacles, Moscow has continued to expand relations with Kabul. According to Kaboľov, Taliban representatives will also participate in this year’s ‘Moscow Format’ meetings concerning Afghanistan. Additionally, the two sides signed a technical-military cooperation agreement last May, which Russian officials say provides the legal framework for future interactions.
Ahmad Saeed Moradzadeh, deputy secretary-general of the SCO, confirmed that a review of the organization’s legal framework is ongoing under Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship; however, until the reforms are finalized, the status of observer members, including Afghanistan, will remain unchanged. Previously, Bakhtiar Hakimov, Russia’s special presidential envoy for SCO affairs, stated that Afghanistan’s full membership faces difficulties and called for reviving the SCO’s contact group with Afghanistan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded in 2001 and currently has ten primary members: Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition, several countries, including Afghanistan, participate as observers or dialogue partners with the organization.
