Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are actively studying the issue of obtaining observer status for Armenia and Azerbaijan, the organization's Secretary-General Zhang Ming said in an interview with TASS.
"As for the issue of Azerbaijan and Armenia getting observer status, SCO member states are actively studying it," he said. "In this regard, I am personally optimistic, although I cannot give an exact timeframe at the moment," the secretary-general added.
According to him, "relations between the two countries are, of course, an important factor to consider." "At the same time, SCO member states are unanimous in not bringing bilateral contradictions into the organization," Zhang Ming continued. "This is also an obligation that any country aspiring to join the 'SCO family' must fulfill," he summarized.
The declaration establishing the SCO was signed in Shanghai in June 2001 by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In 2017, India and Pakistan became full members of the SCO. Armenia and Azerbaijan have the status of dialogue partners.
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Based on materials TASS