Pakistan to gain formal SCO membership next week: Foreign Office

A meeting of the organisation is scheduled to take place on June 23 and 24 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Pakistan will become a formal member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) next week, Foreign Office said on Thursday.

The SCO is scheduled to hold a summit on June 23 and 24 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan that will pave way for opening new avenues for Pakistan to secure funds for energy and other infrastructure projects.

The process of granting Pakistan the full membership of SCO got under way in July 2015 during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Ufa, Russia for a summit.



It outlined the organisation’s status as an important and effective multilateral forum that discusses actual problems of international policy, economy, regional stability and security. These four elements have been very important in stimulating investment.

SCO was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001 by six countries including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have been accorded observer status.



A full SCO membership will help Pakistan strengthen its role in regional and global politics, economies and infrastructure by promoting regional connectivity through the One Belt One Road and Eurasian Economic Union projects, they say.

With plans under way to connect the Silk Road Economic Belt with the Eurasian Economic Union, the role of Pakistan in regional economy and infrastructure projects will definitely increase because of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is part of the Silk Road belt.