What happened?
On 14 July, foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states held the fourth meeting of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The joint statement said: "We condemn the ongoing violence and terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, whose victims are civilians and representatives of State authorities, and call for their early cessation. We note that the activity of international terrorist organizations remains a key factor of instability in that country."  It read: "As friendly neighbors and important partners of Afghanistan, the SCO Member States are interested in making the country peaceful, stable and prosperous, and reaffirm their respect for the traditions and culture of all peoples inhabiting Afghanistan…We urge all parties involved in the conflict in Afghanistan to refrain from the use of force and actions that could lead to destabilization and unpredictable consequences in areas along Afghanistan's borders with SCO Member States."

Additionally, the foreign ministers in their speeches raised concerns over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and cautioned the resurgence of international terrorist forces in the country. They also call for firmly advancing the political settlement for the Afghan issue and for the SCO to play a key role in achieving peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
The meeting was also attended by the SCO Secretary-General, the Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO, and the Afghan Foreign Minister, who attended the meeting specially to provide updates on the situation in Afghanistan.

What is the background?
First, Afghanistan and the SCO. Afghanistan's relations with the SCO dates back to 2005 when it signed a protocol establishing the SCO-Afghanistan contact group. Later in 2012, Afghanistan became an observer in the SCO and has sought full SCO membership since then. Additionally, Afghanistan has also signed several protocols related to counter-terrorism, combating extremism and illicit drug trafficking, and others. For Afghanistan, an entry into the SCO would bring a more proactive engagement from the organization in Afghanistan. Additionally, a full SCO membership will likely increase Afghanistan's security and economic cooperation with the SCO region.

Second, SCO and Afghanistan. The main focus of the SCO in Afghanistan has been to counter-terrorism, drug trafficking, and provision of infrastructure to rebuild Afghanistan. However, there has been opposition to Afghanistan's entry into the group because of the presence of American troops or Kabul's close alliance with Washington. With this apprehension out of the way, providing Afghanistan full membership would help assist the group in better achieving its objectives and boost regional integration and connectivity among the region.

Third, the current situation in Afghanistan. Since May 2021, the Taliban has capitalized on the withdrawal of US and foreign troops from Afghanistan to launch a series of offensives across the country, pushing the country into further chaos. This comes as the intra-Afghan negotiations remained stalled with both sides unable to make tangible progress.

What does it mean?
First, the space for SCO in Afghanistan. With the situation in Afghanistan changing, the SCO could become a regional forum to address the Afghan problem, given the proximity the group has to the region. Second, the SCO needs a unified Afghan strategy. Given that there exist several disagreements between SCO members on several important matters related to Afghanistan, the organization would have to redraw its strategy amid the recent developments in Afghanistan. The failure to do so would lead to regional power politics paving the way for proxy wars and instability in the region.