Uzbekistan, Tashkent, June 11 / Trend D. Azizov /
The Presidents of the member-countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) approved the Regulations on the admission of new members.
According to the regulations, a country wishing to join the SCO, must belong to the Euro-Asian region. It must have diplomatic ties with all SCO member-states. It should also have an observer status at the SCO or a partner on the dialogue. It must support active trade-economic and humanitarian relations with SCO member-states. It should not be under UN sanctions or in a state of armed conflict with another country or countries.
The President of the country-applicant must send the official appeal for membership in the SCO to the chairman of the Council of Presidents of SCO member-states through the Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the organization.
At present, the SCO members are Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO observers are Iran, India, Pakistan and Mongolia, the dialogue partners - Belarus and Sri Lanka.
A temporary moratorium on admitting new members and observers was adopted in 2006 at the SCO meeting upon Kazakhstan's proposal.
Meanwhile, Pakistan appealed with a request for full membership in the SCO the same year.
Such applications were received from Iran in 2007-2008.
Belarus appealed for an observer status in the SCO in 2005, Sri Lanka and Nepal - in 2007.
Leaders of the SCO countries also adopted a Declaration and approved a number of procedural documents and the reports on the activities of the organization in 2009.
Moreover, the agreements on cooperation in agriculture and an agreement on cooperation in combating crime were signed between the governments of SCO member-states within the summit.