The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit opened today in Tianjin, drawing leaders and representatives from 20 countries and 10 international bodies — but notably, no representative from the Taliban was in attendance.
The two-day summit, scheduled to conclude on Monday, comes at a time when the Taliban repeatedly refer to China and Russia as their strategic allies. Before their return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan held observer status in the SCO.
Despite that, no representative from the Taliban was invited or reported present at the Tianjin meeting. The Taliban’s exclusion follows recent diplomatic setbacks, including a U.N. Security Council decision last month to deny Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi a travel exemption to attend meetings in Pakistan and India. The move was widely welcomed by Afghan rights activists and international human rights organizations.
Earlier this year, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming confirmed that a separate consultative session will be held in Tajikistan in less than two weeks, where Afghanistan is expected to be a key topic. Analysts believe the lack of consensus on engaging the Taliban continues to shape the SCO’s cautious approach.
Adding to this, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev recently warned of growing security threats stemming from Afghanistan. He said Russia supports reactivating an SCO “contact group” to restart formal engagement with Kabul under strict conditions focused on counterterrorism and regional stability.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have faced mounting restrictions from the international community over their policies on women’s rights, freedom of movement, and political inclusivity. Travel bans on senior Taliban officials remain in place, and no country other than Russia has formally recognized their government.
Observers say the Taliban’s absence at the SCO summit signals continued reluctance among regional powers to legitimize their rule — even among those seen as more open to engagement.
