ASTANA, June 9. /TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is becoming the key institution in Eurasia, binding together the countries of the region, SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov said at the SCO summit in Astana on Friday.

"The SCO has successfully stood the test of time, while millions of people all over the world have come to understand and appreciate its principles," he said.

According to Alimov, during Kazakhstan’s one-year SCO presidency, the member states achieved significant results in the fight against drug trafficking and cross-border crime and took their cooperation with the United Nations to the next level. "Kazakhstan’s presidency has proved to be an important landmark," the SCO secretary general noted.

The Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was singed in China’s Shanghai in June 2001 by six founding states - Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. On Friday, India and Pakistan became full-fledged SCO members. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia currently enjoy observer status while Sri Lanka, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal are dialogue partners.