Iran’s bid for SCO membership will be accepted after UN sanctions lifted - Russian presidential advisor

UFA, July 7. /TASS/. Iran’s bid for the membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will be accepted shortly after the sanctions of the UN Security Council are lifted, Russia’s presidential advisor Anton Kobyakov said on Tuesday. "The issue of considering Iran’s bid is on the agenda. Sooner or later this bid will be satisfied - after the sanctions of the UN Security Council [against Iran] are lifted," said Kobyakov, who is the executive secretary of a committee for Russia’s presidency in BRICS and SCO. The final stage of preparation for the SCO summit was the meeting of the council of foreign ministers where the sides adopted a "breakthrough decision" on launching the accession procedures for India and Pakistan, he said. It is expected that at the summit in Ufa, in Russia's Volga republic of Bashkiria, due on July 8-10 a decision will be announced that the organization will be expanded. On July 2, the SCO Secretariat received a bid of Egypt on obtaining the status of a dialogue partner. Read more