The secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization welcomed the recent nuclear accord between Iran and world powers and said the deal will pave the way for Tehran’s full membership in the organization.
Dmitry Fyodorovich Mezentsev made the remarks in an interview with IRNA on the sidelines of a forum of the directors of leading SCO media outlets in Moscow on Tuesday, IRNA reported.
Mezentsev said Iran’s full membership in the organization was not possible before the deal due to the sanctions. “But this obstacle has been removed now.”
The official said the SCO is currently cooperating with Iran on various levels, noting that the cooperation will increase once the Islamic Republic becomes a full member. SCO currently has six permanent members, namely China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Mongolia have observer status in the organization.
The SCO media forum, organized by Rossiya Segodnya and Russia’s Federal Agency for Press and Mass Media, is underway in the Russian capital with the theme of “Towards a Common SCO Information Space.” IRNA represents the Iranian media in the event.
