Top Russian Diplomat Sees No Obstacles for Iran to Become Full-Fledged SCO Member
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2020) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Iran was meeting all the criteria to become a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
"We see no obstacle for Iran to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We believe that Iran meets that status by all criteria. Russia actively supported the Iranian bid from the very beginning.
For it to be approved, there must be a consensus, which we are currently working on," Lavrov said at a joint press conference after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The SCO was established in 2001. The intergovernmental organization comprises eight member states, namely China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition to Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia are also SCO's observer states.