Kyrgyzstan says welcomes India, Pakistan joining Shanghai security bloc

BISHKEK, July 6. /TASS/. Kyrgyzstan supports plans by India and Pakistan to enter the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), President Almazbek Atambayev said on Monday. In an exclusive interview with TASS, Atambayev said: "It is no secret that such countries as India and Pakistan, which have observer status in the SCO, have expressed their willingness to step up and become SCO members a long time ago." "If all parties consider that India and Pakistan meet the organisation’s membership criteria and reach a consensus on the issue, we will only welcome this decision," he said, adding that Kyrgyzstan, which had actively cooperated with India and Pakistan since they became SCO observers in 2005, had earlier voiced its support for the two nations' applications to join the six-nation security grouping. Russia, China and four ex-Soviet states in Central Asia - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - formed the SCO in 2001 as a regional security bloc to fight threats posed by radical Islam and drug trafficking from neighbouring Afghanistan. Last year, India and Pakistan, which have observer status in the organisation together with Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan, submitted applications for full membership. Iran also seeks to become a full-fledged member. Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey are "dialogue partners". An SCO summit will take place in Russia’s city of Ufa on July 8-10. Read more