TASHKENT (TCA) — Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tashkent on June 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that India and Pakistan could join the SCO in 2017.
Putin said that India and Pakistan “must meet all the obligations to receive the status of member states”. The Russian president said he hopes the two countries will move toward full membership by the SCO’s next summit, to be held in Kazakhstan in June 2017.
Putin also said there are no longer obstacles that would prevent Iran from joining the SCO.
SCO leaders have been meeting in the Uzbek capital Tashkent on June 23 and 24 for talks that focused on regional security and the situation in Afghanistan.
The current members of the SCO are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan have observer status in the organization.
In his address at the SCO summit on June 24, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that New Delhi is grateful to the SCO Member States and its leaders for their overwhelming support for India’s membership of the SCO. He also welcomed Pakistan as the new member of the SCO.
“With India as its full member, SCO boundaries would stretch from the Pacific to Europe; and from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean,” Modi said. “India would no doubt benefit from SCO’s strengths in energy, natural resources and industry. In turn, India’s strong economy and its vast market could drive economic growth in the SCO region. India’s capacities in trade, investments, information and communication technology, Space, S&T, agriculture, health care, small and medium scale industry can bring wide spread economic benefit to the SCO countries.”
