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SCO expansion not end in itself but natural process — secretary-general

The SCO community, which includes member states, observers and partners, currently comprises 27 countries, Nurlan Yermekbayev noted

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. The expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a natural process, not an end in itself, SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev said in an interview with TASS.

"Our doors are open. But the SCO’s expansion is not an end in itself. It’s a natural process. And, of course, decisions are made by all member states by consensus," he said.

The SCO community, which includes member states, observers and partners, currently comprises 27 countries, Yermekbayev noted.

The decision to establish the SCO was made on June 15, 2001, at a meeting in Shanghai by leaders of six states: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined the SCO in 2017, Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024. The SCO also provides for the status of dialogue partners and observers. The organization’s stated goals include strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good-neighborliness, as well as enhancing multifaceted cooperation in maintaining and cementing peace, security, and stability in the region. The SCO does not have the attributes of a defense alliance.

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