TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohamamd Javad Zarif plans to visit Uzbekistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Summit of the SCO Heads of State is scheduled to be held on June 24 in Tashkent.

Various member states to the organization, especially Russia and China, have supported Iran’s membership.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization 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.

On July 10, 2015, the SCO decided to admit India and Pakistan as full members, and they are expected to join by 2016.

Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are the current observers of the organization.

Iran applied for full membership on 24 March 2008.

Pakistan welcomes Iran’s membership to SCO: official

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Nafees Zakaria said on Saturday Pakistan welcomes Iran’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Iran’s membership to the organization, as an important country in the Middle East region, can bear many fruits to both the region and the organization, he highlighted in an interview with IRNA.

Pakistan’s membership is being finalized, according to the Pakistani official.

Zakaria further noted Iran and Pakistan’s membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will lead to expansion of ties between the two countries and also to expansion of Iran and Pakistan’s relations with China and Russia.

NA