The Shanghai Cooperation Organization holds its annual summit in the absence of Afghanistan The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was founded in St. Petersburg two decades ago and now has eight members, representing half the world’s population and a quarter of economic output. Iran has been seeking to join the bloc since 2005, which includes India and Pakistan, and is likely to join this time. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization currently has eight permanent members, including India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Four countries, Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia, are observer members, and six countries, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka, are also partners. The US application for membership in the organization was rejected in 2005. The main focus of the SCO summit this year is Afghanistan, as members seek to urge the United States to fulfill its obligations to the country, and they also urge Afghanistan to completely eliminate terrorist groups while presenting scientific and practical plans for rebuilding the country. However, members are unlikely to agree on recognizing a new Taliban government. The Pakistani government spokesman said that the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan will meet on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Dushanbe to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially developments in Afghanistan.