Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Friday passed a resolution on starting the procedures of granting India and Pakistan full membership of the organization in Ufa, Russia, which analysts hailed as opening the door to more regional cooperation and stability.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday the admission of India and Pakistan as new full members of the organization will inject fresh impetus into SCO's all-ranging cooperation.

While meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Xi said that Beijing welcomes Pakistan's upcoming entry into the SCO and is willing to maintain close cooperation with Pakistan within the SCO framework.

The enlargement of the SCO indicates that the organization can now expand its regional security protection to South China, said Shi Ze, a senior research fellow at the China Institutes of International Studies (CIIS).

"Admitting India and Pakistan to the SCO could establish regular membership standards, which can pave the way for further enlargement of the organization," Xia Yishan, a research fellow of Central Asian studies at CIIS, told the Global Times, adding that more countries in South Asia or the Middle East may follow when the procedure for admittance is clearly established.

The admission of the new members can reshape the unbalanced SCO structure that currently consists largely of former states of the Soviet Union, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

"China and India can also enhance mutual understanding and strategic mutual trust. It signals China's benign intention to improve the bilateral relations. Strengthened bilateral cooperation will not only safeguard each country's national interests, but also they could joint hand to help improve the global governance," Shi told People's Daily.

The SCO Development Strategy until 2025 was also approved at the summit, which addresses issues of regional security and a prompt response to emerging challenges and threats. It also covered development of transport and infrastructure, energy, agriculture, finance, education, information and communication technology, innovation and environment, the Russian News Agency TASS reported.

"The endorsement of this document will be an instruction of the heads of state to seek a new level of interaction between the parties, especially in view of the prospects of the organization's expansion," SCO Secretary-General Dmitry Mezentsev told the SCO summit.

The SCO on Friday also elevated Belarus to the status of observer from dialogue partner and took in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal as new dialogue partners.

A program of cooperation of member-states has also been approved, which featured fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism in the next three years (2016-2018), TASS said.

During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi suggested that the two countries use the SCO as an important platform to dovetail China's Belt initiative with Russia's aspirations under the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) framework, expand room for their practical cooperation, and facilitate the development, cooperation and prosperity of the whole Eurasian continent.

"India and Pakistan's participation in the SCO can help ease the tensions in South Asia and lay the foundation for more regional cooperation on economy, especially under the 'One Belt, One Road' initiatives and the EAEU," Su Jingxiang, a research fellow of Center for Globalization Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

Alexander Lukin, director of the Center for East Asia and SCO Studies at Moscow State University for International Relations, said that the Silk Road Economic Belt project could help relieve the SCO of many economic problems.

SCO countries have learnt to harmonize national economic interests with the interests of the organization, Mezentsev told TASS.

During talks with his Afghan counterpart, Asharaf Ghani, Xi pledged to beef up security cooperation between the two countries and said that China will continue to provide Afghanistan with assistance in security supplies, technology, equipment and training.

China backs an "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" reconciliation process and is willing to work with all parties involved to play a constructive role in pursuing an early solution to the Afghan issue, said Xi.

China also encourages the SCO member states to boost cooperation with Afghanistan in fighting drug-trafficking and training law enforcement personnel, Xi added.

Yao Peisheng, former ambassador to Kazakhstan, said drug crimes in Central Asia often collude with extremism, terrorism and separatism as well as weapon trafficking, which threaten the whole region including China, reported China National Radio.

Agencies contributed to the story