TASHKENT. June 11 (Interfax) - The authority of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) would grow if other major nations joined it, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told journalists in Tashkent on Friday.
"From Russia's point of view, entry of a number of large countries into the SCO would meet the organization's interests and would help strengthen its authority," Medvedev said.
However, the document confirming the procedure for admitting new members to the SCO, which was adopted at the organization's summit on Friday, "calls into question the ability of states facing problems with their legal status to join the organization," he said.
For example, countries facing UN sanctions will not be allowed to join the SCO, he added.