Moscow, June 24, IRNA - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference opened in the Uzbekistan capital, Tashkent on Friday with the participation of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.


Zarif who leads the Iranian delegation is to address the gathering.

Iran has currently observer status in the SCO.and it is expected that Iranian full membership to be put on agenda of the SCO conference.


While in Tashkent, the Iranian foreign minister is to hold separate talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and several foreign high-ranking officials on the side line of the conference.


Zarif arrived in Uzbekistan from the Netherlands Friday morning at the end of a two-day official visit.

The sanctions on Iran over the nuclear dispute with Washington were one of main obstacles in the way of full membership in the SCO.

India and Pakistan were admitted to SCO full membership last year.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

These countries, except for Uzbekistan had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organization.

By IRNA