Chinese President Xi Jinping has said with the entry of India and Pakistan, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has gained more potential for cooperation and more expectations from the international community.

In his address to the representatives to the 13th meeting of Security Council Secretaries of the SCO here on Tuesday, Xi said maintaining regional security and stability has been the top priority of the bloc since it was founded.

“The SCO members have fought the ‘three evil forces’ of terrorism, separatism and extremism; prevented the overflow of negative effects from hot issues; and made important contributions to keeping regional peace, development and prosperity,” Xi was quoted as saying by the state-run China Daily.

Xi pointed out that when the SCO accepted Pakistan and India last year as new members, it gained more potential for cooperation and more expectations from the international community.

Deputy National Security Adviser Rajinder Khanna, Pakistan’s NSA Nasser Khan Janjua along with top security officials of the SCO member countries called on Xi after the conclusion of their two-day meeting here yesterday.

The security officials met ahead of the SCO summit in the Chinese city of Qingdao to be held on June 9-10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to take part in the summit. It will be the first summit of the SCO after India and Pakistan were admitted into the bloc last year.

The SCO, in which China plays an influential role, is comprised of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

Khanna, who is also the Secretary of the National Security Council Secretariat, today called on Xi along with other Secretaries of National Security Councils attending the meeting.

In his address to the SCO security officials, Xi said  the member countries have expanded areas of cooperation and enriched their experience in cooperation.