First vice president : Iran ready to cooperate with SCO

TEHRAN – First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to extend an all-out cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Speaking to reporters, he said the Islamic Republic of Iran can serve as a bridge between SCO members and the Persian Gulf littoral states, IRNA reported.
The organization can turn into a main factor of regional stability and take great strides to this end, he said.
He expressed satisfaction with acceptance of Iran’s SCO membership as an observer. .
SCO is an intergovernmental international organization founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001 by six countries including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Expansion of political, security, trade and economic cooperation, coordination of SCO members activities against terrorism and campaign against other kinds of threats to regional security are among the main goals of the organization.
Heads of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on Tuesday gave the nod to Iran’s SCO membership as an observer.
During a meeting of heads of SCO’member states, the officials approved the membership of Iran, Pakistan and India in SCO as observers.
During their recent meeting on February 25 in Astana, the SCO member states foreign ministers had accepted the proposals of the said countries to join the organization as observers.
Addressing a meeting of heads of SCO member states, Aref said that Iran would play a key role in linking Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to Persian Gulf states and even Europe.
Aref said that stability, security and expansion of Iran-SCO regional and international cooperation are among priorities of the country’s foreign policy.
Providing security, economic development and prosperity are main requirements of the regional nations, he said, adding undoubtedly such demands would be met within die framework of regional cooperation.
He said that SCO member states enjoy great potentials, adding that Iran is ready to boost cooperation with the organization based on mutual interests