Pakistan, China and some other regional countries have agreed to formally launch Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) for developing space technology. The APSCO is being set up to promote capabilities of the member countries in several areas of space technology applications, said Muhammad Nasim Shah, senior adviser of the Asia-Pacific Multilateral Cooperation in Space Technology and Applications (AP-MCSTA). The four Asia-Pacific countries, China, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand have already conveyed the approval of their respective parliaments and governments to sign the APSCO convention. As per Article 29 of the convention, the APSCO convention will enter into force when at least five states of the Asia-Pacific Region, which are members of the United Nations, have signed it and have deposited with the host government their instruments of ratification or acceptance. APSCO will be established shortly, Shah said and added that the government of Argentine has approved the convention and requested for granting observer's status with APSCO, since it is located outside the geographic region of APSCO. Brazil and Ukraine have informed that they were also interested in joining the APSCO as associate members or observers.
