Decision to expand the SCO may be adopted at the Summit in Ufa - Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry

UFA, 13 February 2015. /Bashinform News Agency, Alim Faizov/. The decision to expand the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can be taken at the Summit in Ufa. On Friday at a press conference in RIA Novosti the Russian President's Special Representative for SCO, Director of Asia-Pacific Cooperation Department of the Foreign Affairs Ministry RF Bakhtiar Khakimov announced this, TASS reports .

"Today we have applications for full membership in the SCO from Pakistan, Iran and India”, Khakimov informed. “In addition, a number of countries ask for an observer status: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Nepal. Recently we have received a request from Syria".

Joining the SCO of India, Iran and Pakistan will take some time, there were no objections regarding any candidate among the states-members of the organization,” Bakhtiar Khakimov said.

In addition, a joint meeting of the BRICS and the SCO leaders is also planned in Ufa, RIA Novosti reports .

The next SCO Summit will be held in Ufa on July 8-10 2015.

The 14th Summit of the organization was held on September 11-12, 2014 in Dushanbe. According to its results Russia took the presidency of the organization for a year. Several documents were signed, including the document on procedure of new members joining, the draft strategy for the SCO development until 2025, the provision on the SCO symbols. Also, an agreement was signed between the governments - members of the organization on creation of favourable conditions for international transport by road. India and Pakistan officially applied for membership in the SCO.

To date members of the SCO are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.