Arrangements Made for Iran’s SCO Membership
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian foreign minister and the secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) discussed the final steps for Iran’s full membership in the Eurasian political, economic, international security and defense organization.
In a telephone conversation on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming talked about the trend of cooperation between the two sides and the upcoming meeting of the organization.
The top Iranian diplomat thanked the SCO’s chief for his efforts and cooperation for the purpose of completing the process for Iran’s full accession to the body. He also reiterated Iran’s readiness for participation in the next meeting of the SCO that will be held online, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
Referring to the extensive efforts of the Iranian government, Parliament and Foreign Ministry to prepare and approve the documents related to Iran's full membership in the SCO, Amirabdollahian said he is confident that Iran's final accession to the organization will provide the body with a new and growing capacity.
The top Iranian diplomat also announced the official introduction of the Iranian national coordinator to the SCO’s secretariat next week.
The SCO secretary general, for his part, expressed pleasure with Iran’s full access to the grouping and stressed that Iran’s full membership in the SCO will be officially announced in its next meeting.
Ming noted that as of July 4, Iran will enjoy full benefits of this membership that are reserved for the SCO member states.
The SCO chief further described Iran’s role in promoting the objectives of the body as important, saying, “It’s a great honor for me that the process of Iran’s permanent membership is happening during my tenure as the secretary general of the SCO.”