China on Thursday hoped that Pakistan would soon get 'Observer status' in Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), a key regional security grouping. A spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Kong Quan told reporters at the weekly news briefing that China favoured enlargement of the SCO and its maximum co-operation with other regional groups in addressing various regional and international issues including terrorism. Pakistan had already shown its intention to join the SCO, he said, adding, "We hope the member countries will reach consensus at an early date for bringing new members in its fold."
Pakistan has applied for the SCO membership about five years back and up till now its application was pending for consideration. "Initially, we expect to join this important body as an Observer by the end of this year, before having full membership," said a senior Pakistani official while talking to newsmen.
Pakistan is confident that the member countries including China, Russia Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan would support Pakistan's request for its participation in the SCO's activities.
According to sources, the SCO is faced with a lot of work, concerning development of its organisational mechanisms, therefore, it was decided not to give full membership to any other country for the time being. However, it will follow the principle of openness and accept more members in the future.
The diplomatic sources indicated the question of the SCO's expansion was likely to come under consideration at the next summit meeting, scheduled to take place at Astana, Kazakhstan next month.
In the beginning, Pakistan's request for joining the organisation faced some opposition from India on the issue of terrorism. However, in the recent years Pakistan firmly stood against terrorism and played a major role in promoting peace and security in the region and it has put Pakistan in a strong position to get the membership.
Pakistan's presence in the six-nation SCO would allow it to deepen security and economic ties with the entire resource-rich Central Asian region and reinforce its ties individually with each of the countries, the sources added.
SCO Secretary General Zhang Deguang, during his meeting with Pakistan's ambassador to China Sulman Bashir in Beijing last week discussed their future co-operation.
He appreciated Pakistan's active participation in regional organisations like the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) and Asian Co-operation Dialogue (ACD).
He also commended Pakistan's key role in the coalition against terrorism. The SCO, he said, fully recognised Pakistan's consistent efforts to make the region free of terrorism.
Zhang also praised Pakistan's economic growth performance and said President Musharraf and his government was doing well for the country's economic uplift.
The SCO has emerged as an important organisation in the region, making collective efforts to fight against terrorism and help guarantee regional security and stability.
Comments
Comments are closed.