Shanghai Cooperation Organization interested in Iran - secretary-general

ZHENGZHOU /China/, December 15. /TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) hopes that anti-Iranian sanctions preventing it from obtaining the status of full-fledged member of this organization will be lifted at an early date, SCO Secretary-General Dmitry Mezentsev told TASS on Tuesday following meeting of the Council of Heads of Government. At present Iran has a SCO observer status. "The head of the Iranian delegation presented Iran’s stance," Mezentsev said. "The meeting also noted that Iran had gained considerable experience since 2005, the period of time during which it has had the observer status." "And you know that Iran’s application is treated with great respect in the SCO. The organization is interested in it. We would like the UN Security Council’s sanctions to be lifted as soon as possible. Therefore, another factor, which, according to the SCO regulatory framework, prevents Iran from obtaining the full-fledged SCO member status, will be removed," Mezentsev noted. "Both the minister of state for external affairs of India and Pakistan’s prime minister particularly emphasized their countries’ commitment to obtaining the status of SCO full-fledged members," he said. "I also want to emphasize that consistent and intense work of the parties has got underway as well as the negotiation process between the secretariat, the headquarters and the authorized representatives of New Delhi and Islamabad. I am convinced that the practical decision of the Council of Heads of State is of particular importance to the organization. The scope of this decision and the results of India and Pakistan’s accession to the SCO, will, undoubtedly, help to ensure that the SCO becomes not only more authoritative but also more influential in the region, and that its influence grows," he said. Earlier on Tuesday, the city of Zhengzhou (Henan province, central China) hosted a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The SCO comprises six member-states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Belarus, Mongolia and Pakistan are the observer states. A number of countries are SCO dialogue partners. Read more