Beijing, Jul 9 (FN Bureau) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to three Central Asian countries — Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — From July 12-16 and partake in the meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday. “The foreign minister will visit Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan from July 12-16 and participate in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Dushanbe,” Wang told a daily briefing.
China sends its top diplomat to Central Asia to promote the cooperation with the three regional countries and contribute to the development of the SCO but also to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, where violence has been on the rise since foreign troops began to withdraw, During the tour, Wang will hold meetings with the host countries’ leaders and take part in multilateral events, such as a meeting of the SCO-Afghanistan contact group and the international conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities.”
The SCO Foreign Ministers Council is scheduled to take place in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe from July 13-14. It will discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan in light of foreign troops’ withdrawal and the offensive of the Taliban (banned in Russia) in the country’s north.