The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan announced that the country hosted the 19th edition of the meeting of National Security Advisors of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, combating terrorism, extremism, separatism, and drug trafficking are among the focal points of this two-day meeting.

Kazakhstan's media reported that Iran would join this meeting for the first time as a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The Islamic Republic News Agency also reported that Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, departed for Astana on Tuesday morning, at the invitation of his Kazakh counterpart to participate in the meeting of the secretaries of the National Security Councils of the SCO member countries.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, observer countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Mongolia, and Belarus were invited as guests to this meeting.

Aibek Smadiyarov, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, stated that as part of this meeting, discussions are expected on pressing international issues within the responsibility zone of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, including joint combat against terrorism, separatism, and extremism, illicit drug, and psychotropic substances trafficking.

Smadiyarov mentioned that fighting transnational organised crime, cooperation in international information security, and further interaction with the United Nations and regional security organisations like the Collective Security Treaty Organisation will be among the topics discussed at the meeting.

He added that at the end of this meeting, it is expected that the national security advisors of the SCO member countries will sign a document regarding joint approaches to further develop multilateral cooperation and focus on regional and international security.