The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will raise the status of Iran, which currently participates as an observer, after a final deal on Tehran's nuclear program is reached between Iran and the major powers, Sputnik quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Wednesday.
Following a meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Moscow, Lavrov told reporters, "We assessed the request from Iran, which since 2005 has actively participated in the work of the SCO as an observer state. We all spoke out in favor of raising Iran's status within our organization in the context of a comprehensive settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue."
The SCO is a political, economic and military alliance, comprising Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as members and Afghanistan, India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran as observers. According to the Russian minister, there are no obstacles to a successful completion of the Iran nuclear talks, as long as all participants adhere to the political framework agreement reached in April. The UN Security Council has agreed to lift nuclear-related sanctions against Iran in case the deal is reached. The UN sanctions were the only obstacle for Iran getting the status of SCO permanent member.
