BEIJING, June 13. /TASS/. The next year’s summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will take place in Russia in 2020, and the Urals city of Chelyabinsk is seen as a likely venue, the organization’s Deputy Secretary General Nurlan Akkoshkarov said on Wednesday.

"It is very symbolic that today you gathered in our hall ahead of the SCO summit to take place in Bishkek on June 13-14. After that, the Russian side will assume the rotating presidency and we expect the 2020 summit to take place in Chelyabinsk," the official told the third international youth conference, headlined "The SCO Model," which gathered in the Chinese capital Beijing.

"And, no matter where the next summit takes place, we are convinced that young people will support us," he added.

The SCO member countries are Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia take on the role of observer states. Six countries serve as SCO dialogue partners - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.