TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met on Friday with a number of senior officials including his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Zarif visited Astana on Thursday to attend the two-day SCO summit and the opening ceremony of Astana Expo 2017.

Zarif discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and bilateral relations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Zarif also held separate meetings with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev.

During his meeting with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Iranian foreign minister said that expansion of ties with neighbors especially Kazakhstan is among Iran’s objectives.

Zarif also discussed regional developments and the international nuclear agreement between Iran and great powers with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who had attended the summit.

Guterres called the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) a “historic agreement”.

Issues related to cooperation in fight against international terrorism, security and situation in the Middle East and Afghanistan were on the agenda the SCO summit.

The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organization which was founded in 1996 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

India and Pakistan were formally given full membership in the organization on Friday.

Iran, Belarus, Mongolia, and Afghanistan hold observer status in the organization and Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Armenia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.

China and Russia have expressed support for Iran’s membership to the organization.

NA/PA