ANKARA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is not constrained to joining the European Union (EU), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) could also be an option, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.
On his way back from official visit to Pakistan and Uzbekistan, Erdogan told reporters that Turkey should feel relaxed about the EU bid and should not forget that there are alternatives to the bloc, local Daily Sabah reported.
Erdogan said he had already discussed the idea with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The SCO, established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, conducts multilateral cooperation between the member states on national security, military, economy and culture. In 2013, Turkey became a dialogue partner at the SCO.
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