China on Thursday said it hoped the tension between India and Pakistan will ease after they are awarded the full membership of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at its annual summit this month.
"We hope India and Pakistan will strictly follow the charter of the SCO, and the idea of good neighbours, uphold the Shanghai spirit, improve their relations and inject new impetus to the development of the SCO," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
The summit is scheduled to be held in early June in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.
"I can see both the friends from Pakistan and India. I hope someday you can sit close to each other," a smiling Hua said while looking at the reporters from both the countries sitting in two corners of the press conference hall.
The ties between India and Pakistan have continuously deteriorated since the terror attack at an Indian army base in January 2016, which was followed by another dastardly attack of the same nature at another army camp.
India and Pakistan will be admitted to the six-member China-led grouping that has Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Formed in 2001, the grouping is about military cooperation among the member nations and counter-terrorism.
"Now the SCO will complete first membership expansion since its establishment and it will become a regional organisation with the largest coverage and involve the biggest population," Hua added.
--IANS
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