TEHRAN – Iranian First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri visited Tashkent on Friday to attend a meeting of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Jahangiri arrived at Islam Karimov international airport where he was welcomed by Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Abdolhakimov, the Iranian ambassador to Uzbekistan and some senior officials of the host country. 

In addition to participation in the 18th meeting of prime ministers of SCO states, Jahangiri is slated to hold a meeting with the Uzbek prime minister and some foreign officials attending the meeting. 

Upon arrival, the vice president said, “The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is one of the most important organizations which has thus far been formed in Asia. Some important countries including Russia and China are the organization. And, India and Pakistan have also recently been accepted as permanent members of the organization.”

Highlighting his county’s intention to be a permanent member of the SCO, Jahangiri said, “The Shanghai Cooperation organization enjoys large capacities for economic, diplomatic and security cooperation based on which the members states can promote their cooperation.” 

Transport and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Eslami and Trade and Industry Minister Reza Rahmani are accompanying Jahangiri in the two-day-long trip. 

The SCO, or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The SCO charter, formally establishing the organization, was signed in June 2002 and entered into force on September 19, 2003.

Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Belarus are observer states of the organization.

MJ/PA