SCO Ministers Back Partnership Status for Laos, Lavrov Says

Foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation concluded their meeting in Beijing on 15 July. Following the talks, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that the ministers agreed to grant partnership status to Laos. Lavrov said the decision, taken earlier in the day, will bring the Southeast Asian nation formally into the SCO’s network, which already includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan and several Central Asian states. Further procedural steps are expected before the status is finalised, but the move signals the bloc’s continued expansion beyond its traditional Eurasian base.