TEHRAN, July 4 (RIA Novosti, Nikolai Terekhov) - Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref was traveling to Kazakhstan Monday for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) slated to open in Astana on Tuesday.
"The SCO was established to promote regional cooperation, ensure stability and security, while Iran's membership in the organization meets our interests and the organization's interests," Aref told reporters before boarding his flight. "The issue has been put on the Iranian foreign ministry and government's agenda."
Aref was pleased that the organization's members had decided to honor the Iranian president's earlier request to grant the Islamic Republic observer status in the SCO. He said such an important regional organization could work efficiently to tackle various international issues and ensure greater stability and security in the region.
The leaders of the SCO, which includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, will gather for a meeting on Tuesday. They are expected to adopt a decision to grant observer status to Iran, India, and Pakistan.
