URUMQI /China/, May 23. /TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is ready to expand and strengthen ties with all countries that show interest in doing so, SCO Deputy Secretary-General Sohail Khan said.
“The SCO is open to further expanding and enhancing cooperation with all interested countries,” Khan said at the opening of the SCO Media Cooperation Forum. “We should create a space where opinions of all countries are heard, where their interests are taken into account and interaction brings practical benefits to the people.”
Khan pointed to the SCO countries’ desire “to form a safe, harmonious and inclusive space” and stressed the importance of cooperation on security issues within the organization. At the same time, he called the SCO members a “big family” that boasts cultural diversity and has significant prospects in various economic spheres.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization currently unites 10 member states – Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. There also are two observer states, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and 14 dialogue partners including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
