AKIPRESS.COM - The fact that countries with different approaches to and views on international issues join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) creates conditions for those issues to be resolved, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Xinhua in an interview on June 23.

"The international environment is complicated and multifaceted, and issues are not resolved by the mere fact that countries with different approaches to and views on various international challenges join our Organization. However, as we expect, their accession does create conditions for the issues to be resolved," he told Xinhua ahead of his visit to China.

A decision to admit to the SCO another two states, India and Pakistan is due to be formalized at the SCO summit in Tashkent on June 23-24, the Russian head of state said.

"We will also consider the intentions of other countries to join our work," he said.

"Indeed, as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization expands its areas of operation and its membership through the participation of the powerful countries I have just mentioned, it turns into a very powerful international association that commands respect and is relevant both in the region and worldwide," Putin said.

The SCO was initially created to address issues of border cooperation between its members, yet it "has become highly demanded and attractive in the region, and many countries of the world have expressed their willingness to join it," the Russian president said.