India and Pakistan one step away from SCO membership - Morgulov

SOCHI, April 19 /TASS/. The memorandums on commitments of India and Pakistan needed for the two countries to become members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be signed at the SCO summit in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in June this year, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov told an international forum on Tuesday. "The SCO has essential understanding that the entry of New Delhi and Islamabad and of Iran in future [into the SCO] will give a new impetus to the dynamics of the SCO; improve the quality of its activities and will considerably increase its influence in world affairs," Morgulov said at the forum titled "On the Second Track. The Role of Civil Society and Public Diplomacy in the SCO Further Development and Expansion." "Negotiations are under way to enable the Indian and Pakistani sides to sign a memorandum on commitments at the summit necessary for gaining a membership status. It means that they will be one step away from being admitted into our organization," Morgulov went on to say. The SCO summit will take place in the Uzbek capital on June 23-24. The documents on the status of India and Pakistan, which are to be signed at the summit, set the SCO requirements to these states; define organizational and financial aspects of this membership and possible sanctions in case they fail to live by their commitments. According to Morgulov, the SCO at this stage is facing the task of joint reaction to new threats, including the spread of international terrorism. "In view of growing traditional threats and the emergence of new threats to regional security, the theme of improving the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is becoming particularly urgent. We believe that RATS could assume the function of curbing financial support for terrorism that comes at the expense of profits gained from illegal trade in drugs," the Russian diplomat said. About 300 representatives of the SCO member countries will gather for the forum to discuss prospects for expanding the organization’s activities in conditions of the constantly changing political and economic situation in the world. The forum, which will take place under the auspices of the Russian Public Chamber, has also been supported by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Three sections such as "World Order, Security and Fight against Terrorism"; "Economy and Entrepreneurship. Ecology and Environmental Protection" as well as "Interaction among Cultures and Religions. Education and Science" will work on the forum’s sidelines, Morgulov said. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an international organization founded by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In 2015, India and Pakistan, which have the status of observers, have started procedures for entering the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Other SCO observer states include Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka are partners for dialogue. Read more