Armenia wants to become an observer at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and needs China's assistance in the matter, Armenia's Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan told Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang on Tuesday.
The press service of the Armenian Government quotes Keqiang as saying that China understands Armenia's wish to take part in regional processes and is inclined to actively cooperate with the Customs Union.
He said that China will discuss with its SCO partner the possibility of Armenia's observer status at the organization.
At its next summit in Bishkek on Sept 13 the SCO is going to consider new memberships. Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov said a few days ago that Mongolia, Afghanistan, Iran, India and Pakistan may become SCO members soon.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a Eurasian political, economic and military organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Except for Uzbekistan, the other countries had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organization.