Erdogan wants Tokayev, Putin and Xi Jinping to support Turkey’s accession to the SCO

Turkey aims to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a full-fledged member. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced this intention at a press conference after the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., as reported by Gazete Oksijen.

«Our goal is to become a regular member of the SCO, not just an observer. We already hold observer status. I have separately discussed this issue with Putin, Xi Jinping and President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, asking for support from the regular members of the alliance on this matter,» Erdoğan said, commenting on Turkey’s potential SCO membership.

In early July 2024, Belarus officially joined the SCO during the organization’s summit in Astana, becoming the 10th regular member state alongside India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Countries with observer status include Afghanistan and Mongolia, while Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners of the organization.