MOSCOW, Aug 25: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will possibly expand in the future as more and more countries are expressing interest in joining, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui told Sputnik in an interview.
“Currently, more and more countries are expressing interest in joining the organization or strengthening cooperation with it, which fully confirms their deep perception of the SCO concept and confidence in its development prospects,” Zhang said.
Although the expansion of the SCO strengthens the organization’s overall power and regional influence, it has never been a purposeful task, but a natural result of development, the diplomat said.
“The organization’s doors are always open, and we are confident that new members will join the ‘SCO big family’ in the future,” the ambassador added.
The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001. It includes India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. On July 4, 2024, Belarus officially joined the organization at the Astana summit. The observer countries are Afghanistan and Mongolia, while the SCO dialogue partner countries are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
The SCO summit will be held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1.
(UNI)
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