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  3. No: 159, 7 June 2012, Press Release regarding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) acceptance of Turkey as a Dialogue Partner.
No: 159, 7 June 2012, Press Release regarding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) acceptance of Turkey as a Dialogue Partner.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an organization that consists of the People’s Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the Russian Federation, approved Turkey’s application to become a Dialogue Partner at the Summit of the Heads of State of the SCO held in Beijing, China on 6-7 June 2012. Turkey welcomes this decision and would like to express its appreciation to the members of the SCO for their support.

Within the framework of its close relations with the countries of the Asian region with which Turkey enjoys historical and cultural ties, the peace, tranquility and stability of Asia is of importance to Turkish foreign policy. In compliance with this understanding, Turkey actively contributes to the political, security, economic and cultural cooperation initiatives in the region and also attaches importance to the establishment of institutional dialogue mechanisms with the regional cooperation organizations in line with the rising influence of Asia.

The Dialogue Partner Status will contribute to the strengthening of our multi-dimensional foreign policy and allow us to follow the developments in the SCO and to convey our views to the member states on issues as regards regional cooperation.
As a Dialogue Partner, Turkey, in line with the principle of indivisibility of security, will make significant contributions to the SCO in such areas as the combating of terrorism and separatism, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, border security, illegal immigration and the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in a geography where the strengthening of the regional, institutional and effective cooperation mechanisms is a matter of utmost importance.