Some leaders of SCO member countries say they value the bloc's achievements. They also expressed their expectations for the upcoming summit. Let's take a listen.

Voices from both old and new SCO member countries. In an interview with CGTN, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev said he has high hopes for the Qingdao summit. He also added that economic cooperation between SCO member states is more active and fruitful than in the past.

NURSULTAN NAZARBAYEV KAZAKHSTAN PRESIDENT "The SCO is not only a political community, but also an economic one. We jointly promote all the countries' development. There are now more than 65 countries that have joined the Belt and Road Initiative with roughly 600 billion US dollars in investment. The 100 billion dollar Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was established. Our funds are used to benefit people in all countries and all these are achievements under the SCO framework."

Pakistan was accepted as a full member of the SCO in 2017. Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain expressed his appreciation of the cooperation among the SCO member states, adding that the SCO has made achievements in boosting economic growth and prosperity in the region.

MAMNOON HUSSAIN PAKISTANI PRESIDENT "We are thankful to all our partners in SCO for their cooperation. And the SCO organization is working very hard for eradication of terrorism not only in this region but all over the world, and especially in this region. And the main aim for the SCO is to help each other country of this region for economic development, for the prosperity of their people and I think up till now, SCO has achieved many of its goals."

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon also highlighted the special significance of this year's SCO summit.

EMOMALI RAHMON TAJIKISTAN PRESIDENT "The Qingdao summit is of great historical significance because it will be the first of its kind attended by eight member states after the SCO's membership expansion. The SCO is an important pillar of maintaining the international order in today's world."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said SCO used to be a low-profile organization when it was first established, but he said he expects something bigger with the development of SCO.

VLADIMIR PUTIN RUSSIAN PRESIDENT "Our objective was quite small. But as we worked together on these small issues, we found similarities between us. We realized that together we could achieve something bigger, grander, other than solving border issues."

Russian President Putin also said the SCO will become an important factor for development of its members, and one that could influence the world in a positive way. CGTN.