Iran quite qualified to be SCO member: Russia

We expect the issue of Iran’s membership at the Shanghai Organization to be raised and examined during the SCO’s summit meeting due to be held in June this year in the Kazakh capital Astana, said Lavrov who is in Kazakhstan to attend a regular meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Iran is next in line whose membership bid is expected to be considered by the Organization, he said.

The SCO member states have engaged in extensive talks on Iran’s membership case and presently with Iran’s sanctions lifted, ground seems to be prepared for the country’s accession, Lavrov said.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

So far, Iran’s application for the membership at the Shanghai Cooperation membership has been turned down by some members.

Moscow remains to be supportive of Iran’s SCO membership bid.

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