Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes statement at a press conference following a cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Türkiye, Sept. 7, 2026. Türkiye will continue to develop its relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Erdogan said on Monday. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

ANKARA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye will continue to develop its relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, of which we are a dialogue partner, is one of the regional organizations with which our relations have intensified in recent years," Erdogan said, according to a press statement issued by the Turkish Presidency after a cabinet meeting.

Noting that SCO member states account for a substantial share of the global population and economic output, Erdogan said the organization has considerable potential.

He said he reaffirmed Türkiye's determination to increase trade with SCO member states during the "SCO Plus" meeting in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Sept. 1, adding that the SCO's "contributions to multipolarity" were discussed at the meeting. ■