These views were expressed by the participants from the SCO member states, including India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, during the sixteenth session of the Forum, hosted by Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad.

The participants agreed that, given the geostrategic location of Afghanistan, SCO members must make collective efforts to ensure that the Afghan peace and reconciliation process moves in a positive direction.

They also stressed the need for collective response from all member states to fight off the perils of pandemic.

The Forum concluded with suggestions on improving people-to-people exchanges among member states.