Sunday, 13 November 2011

Towards a Broader Eurasian Military Alliance? Tehran Applies for Full Membership in the SCO

'Iran seeks to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Iranian Supreme National Security Council's Secretary Assistant Ali Bageri said, INTERFAX reported.

"We have already submitted a relevant application," Bageri said at a news conference in Moscow.

Currently, Iran, India, Mongolia and Pakistan have an observer status in the six-nation SCO. Representatives of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan participate in the organization's meetings as guests. Belarus and Sri Lanka have a dialog partner status at the SCO. Afghanistan also applied for an observer status in 2011.

The SCO is a regional international organization established in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.'

Source: Towards a Broader Eurasian Military Alliance? Tehran Applies for Full Membership in the SCO