Afghan president leaves for Kyrgyzstan to attend SCO summit

KABUL, Afghanistan, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left Kabul for Kyrgyzstan early Thursday to attend the 19th summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, the Afghan Presidential Palace said in a statement released here.

"In addition to delivering speech at the summit, President Ashraf Ghani will also meet heads of states and governments" at the sidelines of the event, the statement added.

China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan established the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Shanghai, China on June 15, 2001 and Afghanistan was granted the observer status at the organization in 2012.