Iran, Russia Stress Development of Bilateral Relations

Moscow, Nov 8, IRNA – Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin emphasized need for development of bilateral relations in a meeting here Monday. Salehi and Putin met each other on the sidelines of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Prime Ministers Conference in Saint Petersburg on Monday. Putin and Salehi called for the better use of the SOC capacities in various fields to achieve its proposed regional and international goals. The Iranian foreign minister and the Russian prime minister discussed ways for development of relations between Tehran and the SCO. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization three-day ministerial meeting started in St. Petersburg on Monday. Several issues including the global economic crises, reconstruction and national reconciliation of Afghanistan took center stage at this years' SCO summit. The meeting, which kicked off Monday, lays a solid foundation for SCO cooperation in the next decade and will be significant for promoting the healthy and stable development of the organization as well as the region in general. The prime ministers held a smaller group meeting before joining an expanded discussion with all participants. Agreement-signing ceremonies and joint press conferences are also on the agenda. The SCO has been developing in areas of security, economy and culture over the past decade and has seen fruitful results in enhancing mutual trust and cooperation among member states. The SCO is an intergovernmental international organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001 by six countries: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its member states cover an area of over 30 million km2, or about three fifths of Eurasia, with a population of 1.455 billion, about a quarter of the world's total. Its working languages are Chinese and Russian. Tehran is interested in joining the block. Currently, Iran is an observer member of the regional block. With its twin pillars, China and Russia, the SCO is seen as a counterweight to the US unilateralism./end