Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited him to a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent after talks in Sochi, RIA Novosti reported.

The Turkish leader said he believed it was necessary to attend the meeting of the SCO in Uzbekistan after Putin's invitation. He mentioned that other countries planning to join the SCO, including Saudi Arabia, will also attend the meeting.

Turkey itself has "dialogue partner" status with the SCO, and it is expected that Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nepal and Cambodia may also be granted observer status at the summit.