DUSHANBE- India and Pakistan filed formal applications for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The agenda of the summit comprises a point about development of the SCO Development Strategy until 2015. The first step will be the adoption of the procedure for granting status of state-member of the SCO and memorandum of a declarant State. At present, Iran, Pakistan and India are the SCO observer-countries.

Recall, summit SCO member-states is opened in Dushanbe, which was formed in 2001. Permanent members of the organization are the following six countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Observers are Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan. Partners are Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka.