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The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an international alliance that consists of 6 member states and 5 observers from Eurasia. It was established on 26 April 1996 as Shanghai Five. Of the 6 member states and 5 observers, SCO currently also have 3 dialogue partners and 3 guest attendance entries.
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Observer states
Except for Afghanistan, the observers are due to be accorded full member status at the 2014 SCO summit.
Future participation
Observers India and Pakistan have been approved for membership, and are expected to join by 2016. Observer Iran has also submitted an application for full membership. Meanwhile, in 2012 Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka applied for observer status within the organization. Egypt and Syria has also submitted an application for observer status, while Egypt, Israel, Maldives and Ukraine have applied for dialogue partner status.