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363894
Fri, 04/17/2015 - 11:01
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Iran can become SCO member after sanctions against Tehran lifted - Russian envoy

MOSCOW, April 16. /TASS/. An issue of Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can be considered after all sanctions imposed against the Middle East country are lifted, Zamir Kabulov, Russian president’s special envoy to Afghanistan, said on Thursday. The Russian diplomat said it was "not only for Russia alone to decide," but it was high time for Iran to become the member of the SCO, where the Arab state enjoys the observer status. "Our position has been recently voiced by Foreign Minister [Sergey Lavrov], that there are regulations and the Charter, which prohibit from the countries under sanctions the UN Security Council’s sanctions from the membership in the organization," Kabulov said. The Russian official added that in case sanctions in regard to Iran were lifted, Russia would be encouraging Iran’s membership in the SCO. The SCO comprises six permanent members, which are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and five countries enjoying the status of observers, which are Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan. Kabulov’s statement comes in the wake of progress achieved at the Iran nuclear talks in Switzerland over a week ago paving the way for the international community to gradually lift sanctions from the Islamic Republic. Iran says it needs nuclear power to generate electricity, but Western powers led by the United States claim Tehran's eventual aim is to create nuclear weapons. The latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 in Lausanne, Switzerland, ended April 2 with the conclusion of a joint comprehensive action plan on the Iranian nuclear program, to be adopted by June 30. As the plan is being implemented, all political and economic sanctions are to be lifted from Tehran. Meanwhile, on April 9 media quoted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as saying that if sanctions are not lifted first, Iran will not sign the nuclear deal with the six international negotiators. Read more

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