On the sidelines of the 2016 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif conferred with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on expansion of bilateral and multilateral ties, current developments in the region, as well as cooperation within the framework of the SCO.
Discussing SCO development plan and Iran’s membership in the multilateral organization were also on Zarif’s agenda during the meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov.
Zarif, who arrived in Tashkent following his two-nation European tour to France and the Netherlands, is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the SCO Summit, and hold a meeting with President of Afghanistan Ashrag Ghani.
Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries, including Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as the old members and India and Pakistan as the new members to the SCO are participating in the summit, while President of Afghanistan is attending as an observer and President of Turkmenistan as the special guest.
Bakhtiyer Khakimov, Russia’s special representative to the SCO told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that Russia supports Iran’s membership in the organization and calls for the acceleration of the process.
Due to UN sanctions, Iran’s membership to the SCO was impossible; however, with the implementation of the nuclear deal and the lift of sanctions, Iran is pursuing its full membership in the organization.
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