Kazakhstan supports accession of India and Pakistan to SCO

Kazakhstan’s President has supported the accession of India and Pakistan to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Tengrinews correspondent reports from Ufa, Russia, where the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of States took place on July 10.

“We fully support the decision to launch the accession process for India and Pakistan to acquire the status of member states of the SCO. International authority, experience and economic potential of India and Pakistan provide a huge support for the future of our organization,” President Nazarbayev said in his speech.

Besides, the Ufa summit concludes Russia’s Chairmanship in the SCO in the period of 2014-2015. Uzbekistan will be next to chair the organization. 

“Today’s summit opens a new stage in the development of the SCO. For the first time in the history of the organization, an accession procedure is being launched for new members - India and Pakistan. We agreed to grant Belarus the observer status. Furthermore, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal joined the SCO's family as dialogue partners. A number of other countries are also expressing interest in cooperation with our organization. We will thoroughly consider their applications taking into account all the relevant requirements,” Russian President Vladimir Putin declared.

The participants of the summit also summed up the results of SCO's work in 2014-2015, discussed current key priorities of the SCO and exchanged opinions on various issues of regional and international agendas. 

Following the end of the meeting, heads of the SCO member-states inked a package of documents. First and foremost was the Ufa Declaration, which stipulated the member-countries' common vision and consolidated approach to the regional and international issues, the results of the Russian chairmanship and the priority areas of the organization's work for the future.

The SCO leaders also approved the SCO development strategy to be implemented until 2025, which sets out clear targets and areas of the organization's development and work for the next decade.

Reporting by Assel Satayeva, writing by Assel Satubaldina