ASTANA, July 4. /TASS/. Close economic ties in the SCO space bring dividends to the members of the association, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"Close economic ties bring obvious dividends to all participants. The facts speak for themselves. Thus, the average GDP growth of the countries that are members of our organization last year amounted to more than 5%, industrial production - 4.5%, and inflation - only 2.4%. At the same time, Russia's trade turnover with the SCO countries increased by a quarter," Putin said in his speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State - members of the association.

He added that the draft decision on the development of the SCO strategy until 2035 outlined prospects for further deepening interaction not only in the political and security spheres, but also in the economy, energy, agriculture, high technology and innovation.