The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was expanded for the first time at the two-day summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, with the inclusion of India and Pakistan. The inclusion of the two major regional countries in the SCO demonstrates the organization's growing appeal.

After the expansion, the eight-member bloc will cover nearly half of the world's population and three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, which will greatly boost its role of promoting regional stability and prosperity.

Since its establishment in 2001, the SCO has faced numerous detractors and critics, who have questioned its motives and principles. Yet the organization's steadfast commitment to peace and economic growth in some of the world's most volatile countries has remained unshaken.