Welcome! SCO Foreign Ministers Agree to Grant Membership to Pakistan, India

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers decided to grant India and Pakistan the status of members of the bloc, which is to be confirmed at the SCO summit in July, Pakistan's ambassador to Russia told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The SCO comprises Russia, China and the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan have had an observer status.

"The council of ministers met yesterday and there is an agreement to allow Pakistan, along with India, to be upgraded [to SCO member states]. The decision of the council of ministers will be put forward to the summit in Ufa [in July]," Zaheer Janjua said.

"We both [Pakistan and India] have requested for association with the SCO by becoming full member-states. Our application for a full member status is under active consideration. We are hopeful that this summit will endorse the membership of Pakistan along with that of India," he added.

Leaders of the SCO member states will meet at a summit in the Russian city of Ufa on July 9.