TASHKENT: Chinese President Xi Jinping says that Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can play a constructive role to help Afghans in their quest to restore peace and stability in the country, as leaders from the SCO member nations gathered in the Uzbek capital Tashkent for a two day summit.
On the sidelines of the summit, on Friday, Ghani met his Chinese counterpart Xi and the two leaders exchanged views on a number of key issues pertaining to Afghanistan and the region including discussions over Afghanistan's intention to achieve membership of The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Xi promised that his country as a key member of the organization was ready to support an Afghan-led and an Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process.
"The peace process in Afghanistan should move forward under the leadership of the Afghan people," Xi said.
In addition, Tajikistan's President Imam Ali Rahman also laid strong emphasis on the establishment of longstanding peace and stability inAfghanistan, saying that stability in Afghanistan was in the interests of the entire region and the world.
He said Shanghai member nations are able to cooperate with Afghanistan's fight against terrorism and drug smuggling.
Joining other leaders, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev also pledged his country's support to Afghanistan and said that they will undertake the renovation of Afghan forces' helicopters.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov invited Ghani to visit Turkmenistan in the near future so that the countries besides inaugurating the Aqina railway link also sign the Lajaward transit route agreement.
