The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday in a statement said that Afghanistan has asked China for full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The statement said that Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani met with China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi on Tuesday afternoon.
Rabbani while appreciating the active and constructive role played by China in the session of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, Pakistan, United States and China regarding the peace process in Afghanistan, said the two previous sessions had been successful and expressed his hope for finalizing the peace process in the future session of the mentioned group.
"Minister of Foreign Affairs appreciates the valuable cooperation of China with Afghanistan in different sectors and asked for China's support for Afghanistan's full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)," read the statement.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also discussed the importance of Afghanistan's strategic position in becoming a transit route in the Silk Road project.
"He believes that the five nation's railroad from China to Iran through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan can play a vital role in strengthening regional connectivity," the statement said.
According to the statement, China called the visit of Rabbani to Beijing valuable in terms of developing friendly relations and bilateral cooperation in different sectors and assured Afghanistan of his country's endeavors for peace efforts under the leadership and ownership of Afghanistan.
Wang stressed on the commitment of his country in the rehabilitation and developing of Afghanistan in different sectors and welcomed the request of Afghanistan's full membership in the SCO and membership in AIIB and promised serious cooperation in this regard.
The statement said that Wang pointed out the position of Afghanistan on the Silk Road and said his country is ready to sign an inter governmental cooperation agreement with Afghanistan.
In this meeting Rabbani and Wang also discussed and exchanged opinions on the cooperation of the two countries regarding the bilateral and multilateral struggle against terrorist groups and the implementation of agreements between the leaders of the two countries about bilateral cooperation including projects which China has committed to implement in Afghanistan.