Ambassador: New Members boost SCO spread

Pakistan and India's upcoming membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will see the body represent nearly half of the world's population, and Pakistan seeks "real-time coordination" with the SCO in counterterrorism, Pakistani Ambassador to China Masood Khalid told China Daily.

India and Pakistan are on their way toward becoming new members of the six-nation, trans-Eurasia SCO. The SCO - with its focus on regional stability and combating the threat of terrorism - currently groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Vice-Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping told a Monday press conference that the ongoing SCO summit in Ufa, Russia, will initiate "procedures for accepting India and Pakistan's entry into the SCO".

Khalid believes that the Ufa summit "represents an important milestone in the history of the SCO, as it marks the expansion of this prestigious organization".

With new members, SCO will be "home to nearly half of the world's population. The inclusion of Pakistan will enhance the profile of the SCO and help the organization play a more pronounced role in our region and beyond," he said.

India and Pakistan are currently SCO observers states along with Afghanistan, Iran and Mongolia.

On the necessary procedures to make Pakistan a new member of the SCO, the ambassador said Pakistan will to accede to relevant legal instruments of the SCO for formal membership.

"Our internal process of accession to these instruments has already started, as per constitutional requirements and procedures," he said.

When asked if there is a timetable for finalizing all the approvals, the diplomats said the SCO process of approvals "is also following its own pace".

"We hope to complete the two processes within the expected timeframe," he said.

On the official expectation over its new membership in the grouping, the envoy said Pakistan "hopes to optimize our deep-rooted historical and cultural links and strong economic complementarities with other member states to promote win-win cooperation".

"We also seek meaningful and real-time coordination with SCO in counterterrorism, counternarcotics and border security, as threats and challenges posed in these areas are common," he said.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn