SCO will play constructive role to improve Indo-Pakistan ties: China

BEIJING: As India and Pakistan are set to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ( SCO), China today said the six-member grouping will play a constructive role in the improvement of relations between the two South Asian neighbours.

"We believe that India and Pakistan joining the SCO will play an important role in the development of the SCO," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunyhing said.

"The SCO will play a constructive role in the continuous development and improvement of relations between India and Pakistan," she said in comments posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif will attend the SCO summit at Russian city of Ufa where the BRICS summit is being held ahead of it.

China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are the regular members of the SCO.

Till now India along with Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan had the observer status in the organisation which mainly focussed on the anti-terrorism cooperation among the member states.

Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.

The process of granting full membership to India and Pakistan was expected to be formally completed next year, according to SCO officials.