Sputnik - Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mahmoud Vaezi said that Tehran is planning to take decisive steps toward joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as full-fledged member.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)�� Tehran is planning to�take decisive steps toward�joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as�full-fledged member, Iranian Minister of�Information and Communications Technology Mahmoud Vaezi told Sputnik on�Thursday on�the sidelines of�the St. Petersburg International Business Forum (SPIEF).


"In general, I believe, that� in�the near�future Iran will take active steps toward�joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as�a full-fledged member, having held talks on�the conditions of�this integration," Vaezi said.


According to�the minister, Iran saw both positive and negative sides in�joining the SCO, but�with the global challenges requiring countries to�stand together, Iran was getting ready to�join the union.

The SCO, founded in�2001, includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with�India and Pakistan as�acceding states and Iran among�observers. The organization deals with�political, economic, security and military issues.

The 21st SPIEF kicked off�on Thursday for�its three-day run, gathering high-ranking politicians and prominent business leaders from�dozens of�countries in�the Russian city of�St. Petersburg.

The Sputnik news agency is an official media partner of�the forum.