BEIJING, September 9. /TASS/. Heads of state from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will sign a memorandum on Iran’s commitments in light of the Islamic Republic’s entry to the organization at a summit in Samarkand, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming told TASS on Friday.
"We expect [SCO] leaders to sign a memorandum on Iran’s commitments to join the organization, after which Iran would fulfill appropriate commitments in accordance with the procedures and complete its accession to the organization," the SCO chief said. The decision to admit Iran as a full member was made at last year’s SCO summit, he recalled.
According to Zhang Ming, Belarus recently submitted an application to join the SCO as a member country.
"The SCO is currently actively discussing Belarus’s application, and major coordination work is underway on behalf of the Secretariat. We believe there will eventually be consensus," Zhang Ming said.
SCO expansion
Apart from Iran and Belarus, many countries would like to become SCO member countries, observers or partners, Zhang Ming added.
"Hopefully, the SCO would play a more important role in maintaining regional security and stability, expanding the range of interests shared by SCO member countries and contributing to the development of a global management system in a more just and prudent direction," the SCO secretary-general said. In an interview with TASS, he reiterated that the SCO was an open organization.
"We would welcome any country that shares the `Shanghai spirits’ and complies with the SCO Charter to join the SCO," the concluded, pledging active efforts on behalf of his team to facilitate that.
The SCO summit is scheduled for September 15-16. The organization currently includes Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia hold the status of observers, while Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey are partner countries.