TEHRAN – First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi has announced Iran’s willingness to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization rather than remaining an observer member.

Rahimi made the remarks in the annual SCO prime ministerial meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Thursday.
Taking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, Rahimi said that the member states cannot take any significant measures regarding the transit of goods without Iran’s cooperation.
He added, “In the meeting, we made some suggestions on accepting Iran’s membership in this organization, creating regional currency (common currency), the transit of goods, and the campaign against drugs and terrorism.”
Upon his arrival in Tehran on Thursday, Rahimi told reporters that most of the SCO members are willing to accept Iran as a full member, but certain countries postpone discussing the issue.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Rahimi held separate talks with Chinese, Mongolian, Afghan, Pakistani, and Kazakh prime ministers.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization or SCO is an intergovernmental military alliance which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan