VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. Laos, becoming one of dialogue partners with countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), will enter new markets, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone said.

The SCO is "an important platform that reflects economic development trends between countries, and creates significant opportunities for interaction," he said during the Russia-Laos business dialogue at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). "It is important for Laos to enter new markets and become a more serious economic partner in the international arena," the premier added.

Until recently, the SCO included ten member states (Russia, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), two observer countries (Afghanistan and Mongolia), and 14 dialogue partners (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka). At the Tianjin summit, the status of observers changed, with the number of partners, together with Laos, reaching 17.

The 10th Eastern Economic Forum is taking place in Vladivostok from September 3 to 6 under the theme "The Far East: Cooperation for Peace and Prosperity." The business program features more than 100 thematic sessions divided into seven tracks. The forum has brought together over 4,500 participants from more than 70 countries and territories. The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the EEF, with TASS as its general information partner.