Foreign ministers from full member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathered in Tianjin on Tuesday for a high-level meeting aimed at deepening regional cooperation and finalizing preparations for the upcoming Heads of State Summit later this year.

Chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the session brought together senior officials from Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. The meeting focused on strengthening multilateral engagement under China’s rotating presidency and reaffirmed the group’s shared commitment to the “Shanghai Spirit”—a principle rooted in mutual trust, equality, and regional stability.

Among the prominent attendees, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met separately with President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang, conveying greetings from President Vladimir Putin and holding talks on global strategic coordination. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, on his first visit to China since 2020, also participated in the meeting and emphasized the importance of a “far-seeing” and stable relationship between New Delhi and Beijing.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, took part in the session following a recent recalibration of diplomatic ties between Islamabad and Beijing. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also held bilateral meetings with Chinese officials, reaffirming Tehran’s commitment to regional cooperation following its accession to the SCO as a full member in 2023.

Agenda and Participation

The Tianjin gathering focused on a range of strategic priorities, including regional security, counterterrorism, economic integration, climate cooperation, and connectivity. A key objective was to coordinate policy positions ahead of the SCO Heads of State Summit, expected to be held in Tianjin later this year.

While the meeting was exclusively for full member states, observer nations—including Afghanistan and Mongolia—did not participate, a source told Ariana News. Afghanistan has held observer status since 2012, but its participation in high-level SCO meetings has remained limited, particularly under the current Islamic Emirate administration, which has not yet received formal international recognition.

The evolving situation in Afghanistan remained part of the broader regional discussions, reflecting the SCO’s continued concern with stability and security in the region.

China’s Foreign Ministry described the gathering as an opportunity to advance “practical cooperation” and strengthen the SCO’s role as a pillar of Eurasian diplomacy and development.

A U.S. appeals court has blocked for now a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to strip temporary protected status from thousands of Afghans in the United States, court documents showed, allowing them more time to argue the case, Reuters reported.

Monday’s order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted an administrative stay on the termination until July 21, following a request from immigration advocacy organization CASA.

The group’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security challenged the termination of temporary protected status for Afghans and Cameroonians unveiled by the administration in April.

The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time of the April announcement, it had said conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer merited the protected status.

The TPS program provides protection against deportation and provides work permits for periods of six to 18 months to those from countries stricken by natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event, read the report.

The status can be renewed by the homeland security secretary. Trump’s effort to end most TPS enrollment during his first term from 2017 to 2021 was thwarted by federal courts.

CASA sought an emergency stay on Monday, when the protection of Afghans was set to be terminated, while that of Cameroonians was set to end on August 4, the court document showed.

The group said the step was arbitrary and discriminatory and would cause “irreparable harm” to those affected, as it sought a stay while the appeals proceed.

The administration has time until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday (0359 GMT on Thursday) to respond, Reuters reported.

The stay was not a final decision, but gave time for the legal challenge, said Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups that coordinates resettlements with the government.

“AfghanEvac stands firmly behind the legal challenge and calls on DHS and the Trump administration to immediately reverse course and extend TPS protections,” VanDiver said in an email.

The United States evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans from Afghanistan after the Islamic Emirate takeover in 2021, of whom more than 70,000 entered the U.S. on temporary “parole,” or legal entry for two years.

Rights advocates have said many Afghans who helped the United States during its war in Afghanistan would be targets if they returned home.

Particularly at risk would be women, whose rights the Islamic Emirate have curbed since their return to power after the U.S. withdrawal, rights groups say.

The United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, has expressed deep concern over the country’s low literacy rates, stating that Afghanistan ranks among the nations with the highest levels of illiteracy globally.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Kabul Book Festival on Monday, Otunbayeva revealed that only 50% of Afghan men and approximately 20% of Afghan women are literate.

She urged investors and entrepreneurs to play an active role in promoting literacy and supporting the printing and publishing of books within the country.

Meanwhile, Hayatullah Mohajer Farahi, Deputy Minister of Publications at the Ministry of Information and Culture, highlighted the Islamic Emirate’s efforts to promote a culture of reading.

He noted that, under a decree from the Supreme Leader, books printed domestically are now exempt from taxes—a move intended to boost local publishing. He also said the ministry has organized several book fairs to further encourage public interest in reading.

However, educators and cultural figures highlight ongoing challenges that continue to impede progress.

A shortage of public libraries, restricted operating hours at existing ones, and insufficient facilities continue to obstruct efforts to promote a culture of reading.

Ziaur Rahman Laghmani, a university professor, emphasized the transformative power of books, stating: “Nations awaken and progress through books. They are the foundation of character building. A bright future depends on our youth’s engagement with books.”

The Kabul Book Festival takes place amid ongoing restrictions on girls’ education, with schools still closed to girls above the sixth grade and universities remaining off-limits. Experts warn that barring girls from education poses a major barrier to national development and self-reliance, stressing that governments have a duty to ensure inclusive and equitable access to learning for all.