Accession of India, Pakistan to SCO carries historical significance: SCO leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walk following a meeting of heads of member states at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 9, 2017. [Photo: Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin]

The expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) carries historical significance as India and Pakistan become full members of the bloc, SCO leaders said Friday.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (L) and Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev shake hands ahead of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council. [Photo: TASS/Mikhail Metzel]

Granting India and Pakistan membership at the SCO summit will boost the organization's development and potential, according to a press communique released after the summit in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.