Ufa summit marks new stage of SCO development with start of India, Pakistan accession procedure - Putin

UFA, July 10. /TASS/. The current summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Ufa marks a new stage of its development with India and Pakistan joining the SCO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. "Today's summit opens a new stage of the SCO development," Putin said at the SCO summit extended session. "The procedure of accession of new members, India and Pakistan, is launched for the first time in the organisation's history." Putin also said the SCO member states (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) had decided to give Belarus an observer status at the organisation. "Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal join the SCO family as dialogue partners," he added. "A number of countries are interested in joining our organisation in this or that way," Putin said. "We will throughly consider their applications with the account for the existing demands." Read more