Following the meeting of the Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, held on 15 and 16 September in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told journalists that his country aims to join the SCO.

Turkey is still a member of NATO. The SCO was founded by Russia and China, hence Washington demands that its allies cut ties with Russia. However, Turkey noted that NATO statutes do not provide for this kind of scenario.

President Erdoğan has left for the United States where he is to meet President Biden.