Ten more countries want to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), including the UAE, Syria, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This is reported to Izvestia with reference to high-ranking sources close to the organizing committee of the association.

According to sources, the UAE asked to immediately grant them the status of a member of the SCO, bypassing the bureaucratic procedure – this issue will be considered at the summit in Samarkand on September 15-16.

“As many as ten countries were asked to consider applications for raising their status in the SCO. Among them are representatives of the Arab world: Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE. Moreover, the Emirates asked to be granted the status of members of the association immediately. From SEA want Myanmar, Cambodia and Nepal. From neighboring countries Armenia and Azerbaijan would be willing to join. We see an unprecedented scale of interest in the SCO,” explained a high-ranking informed source of Izvestia.

Now the SCO includes eight countries – India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia have observer status. Partner countries are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.

“There is a consensus, albeit with some nuances, to grant observer status to Azerbaijan and Armenia, given that they have been dialogue partners of the SCO since 2016. There is a similar proposal regarding Cambodia and Nepal, – said the source of Izvestia. “Also, in Samarkand, the procedure for admitting Belarus to the SCO membership will be initiated.”

On August 3, the Forum of Heads of Regions of the SCO Member States was held in a hybrid format in Tashkent.

The main goal of the forum is to attract the attention of the SCO member countries to the issues of further development of tourism, culture and agriculture. The forum is designed to deepen interregional cooperation in trade, economic, investment, cultural, humanitarian and other priority areas.

The program of the two-day event included a plenary session and three thematic panel sessions. During the panel session “Development of tourism among the regions of the SCO countries”, presentations of tourism and investment opportunities in various regions took place.

The plenary session of the event was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan – Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Zh. Khodjaev, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, leaders and representatives of 30 regions of the SCO member states, the Secretariat of the organization reports.

Zhang Ming noted that regional cooperation is one of the important activities of the SCO. During the recent meeting of the SCO Ministerial Council, important documents were adopted on deepening cooperation in transport and logistics, trade, investment, agriculture, tourism and other areas, which will be submitted for approval at the upcoming meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers in Samarkand.

He expressed hope that the administrative formations of the member states of the Organization will consistently step up efforts to implement the agreements reached, expand economic and humanitarian contacts in an interregional format.