Uzbekistan: Putin hails SCO's importance to Russia's foreign policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) during the second day of the group's summit in Tashkent, Friday. He called the SCO "one of the priorities" for Russia's foreign policy.
The Russian leader also expressed hope that both India and Pakistan will come to an agreement and join the organisation. "We expect that the partners will manage to pass the rest of the way as quickly as possible – to our next meeting in Kazakhstan," he said.
Putin also went on to point out the possible entry of Iran into the SCO, saying, "We believe that there are no obstacles for a positive consideration of the application of Tehran." The Russian president added that such issues could be settled after the Iranian "nuclear issue" and the "lifting of UN sanctions" were dealt with.
The SCO marks its 15th anniversary during this year's summit, which is set to run until Friday. India and Pakistan are expected to become full SCO members after their formal admission into the organisation.