Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the SCO summit with a fresh agenda, focusing on Gaza matters.
Turkey Seeks Full Membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organization
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has arrived in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, expressing Turkey's ambition for full membership in the organization. Turkey joined the SCO as a Dialogue Partner in 2013.
Erdogan affirmed the goal of full SCO membership last year, and Ankara has previously expressed a desire for full membership of the SCO. The SCO summit provides an important platform for Turkey to voice its views on regional and global issues, Erdogan stated.
In a recent article published by People's Daily of China, Erdogan discussed Turkey's role in building bridges and bringing civilizations together. This sentiment echoes the comprehensive political, economic, social, and cultural relations between Turkey and the People's Republic of China, which have shown steady development since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971.
Turkey's contributions to regional and global stability are significant, as demonstrated by its involvement in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Erdogan is expected to reiterate his readiness to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine at the summit.
The SCO summit brings together Turkey's partners in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and other countries. This year, twenty heads of state and government are attending the summit in Tianjin, China. Among them is Armenia, which is attending the summit to seek normalizing ties with Ankara.
As the only NATO member among the dialogue partners of the SCO, Turkey is also the only country on the path to EU accession in this group. Erdogan is expected to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza at the summit, calling for a fully independent and sovereign Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The SCO includes 10 member states, 2 observers, and 14 dialogue partners across Asia, Europe, and Africa. The organization covers approximately 24% of global land area and 42% of the world's population.
In addition to the summit, Erdogan will hold bilateral talks with leaders on the sidelines of the event. These discussions offer opportunities for strengthening Turkey's relationships with key players in the region and beyond.
However, Erdogan criticized the current international system, particularly the United Nations, for falling short in addressing global crises and safeguarding the rights of the innocent. This criticism underscores the need for international cooperation and dialogue, as exemplified by the SCO summit.
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