MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The SCO is a political, military and economic alliance that includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
“The issue of multilateral cooperation under the framework of the SCO in the sphere of healthcare and the prospects for the development [of such cooperation] will be on [the meeting’s] agenda,” Oleg Salagai said.
He added that the Russian Health Minister will attend the Tuesday meeting and will also take part in a bilateral meeting with her counterpart from Kyrgyzstan.
Mongolia, Iran, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have observer status in the organization. In September 2014, Pakistan and India formally applied to join the alliance.
The position of a dialogue partner envisages a state or an organization that shares the common aims and principles of the SCO and expresses willingness to cooperate with member states on equal terms for mutual benefit.
On July 9-10, the Russian city of Ufa will host an annual SCO summit.