Iran Eyes Full Membership In SCO: Rouhani

Iran eyes full membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) since it entails mutual benefits, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said in a meeting with the visiting Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev here on Saturday.
The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and military organization, which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai, China by leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
It now has China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its full members, with Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan as observers, and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey as dialogue partners.
Iran, Belarus and Turkey have previously expressed interest in working with or joining the organization.
Rouhani pointed to Kyrgyzstan's "inclination" for Iran's full membership in the SCO, saying that Iran's membership would also be in the interest of both countries.
Rouhani said Tehran and Bishkek are set to facilitate visa regulations for tourism purposes as well as for cultural and scientific contacts. To this end, they will launch direct air lines, he added.
Both countries will also have intelligence and political cooperation to counter terrorism and extremism in the region and in the central Asia.
Iran and Kyrgyzstan are mulling over a 10-year plan to use all their potentials to strengthen their bilateral ties, Rouhani said.
For his part, Atambayev said "we support Iran's efforts for membership in SCO, and we are sure that this will help the organization elevate its economic capabilities and its infrastructures."
Over the past years, bilateral political and trade relations between Iran and Kyrgyzstan have been more or less even and somewhat relaxed.
Iran mainly exports clothing, nuts, paints and flooring to Kyrgyzstan and imports meat, grain and steel scraps. (Cihan/Xinhua)