Iran to Move Decisively Toward Joining Shanghai Cooperation Organization Soon

Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mahmoud Vaezi said that Tehran is planning to take decisive steps toward joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as full-fledged member.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Tehran is planning to take decisive steps toward joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as full-fledged member, Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mahmoud Vaezi told Sputnik on Thursday on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Business Forum (SPIEF).

"In general, I believe, that… in the near future Iran will take active steps toward joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a full-fledged member, having held talks on the conditions of this integration," Vaezi said.

According to the minister, Iran saw both positive and negative sides in joining the SCO, but with the global challenges requiring countries to stand together, Iran was getting ready to join the union.

The SCO, founded in 2001, includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with India and Pakistan as acceding states and Iran among observers. The organization deals with political, economic, security and military issues.

The 21st SPIEF kicked off on Thursday for its three-day run, gathering high-ranking politicians and prominent business leaders from dozens of countries in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

The Sputnik news agency is an official media partner of the forum.