MNA � Iran�s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has arrived in Kazakh capital to attend Shanghai summit and hold bilateral meetings with senior officials, FM spokesman said Thursday.According to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi, Iranian FM Zarif has left Turkey�s Ankara this morning for Kazakh capital Astana.

Zarif�s visit to Astana aims at inaugurating�Iran�s stand at the International Expo 2017, taking part in the 17th Meeting of the Heads of State Council (HoSC) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as well as holding a number of bilateral meetings with other participating leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

The SCO Summit is scheduled for 8-9 June 2017 in in Astana, Kazakhstan, where�India and Pakistan will become the full members of the grouping, which at present comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Iran�s membership in the SCO has also been welcomed and supported by China and Russia, and the subject will be discussed in the summit.

Zarif is slated to meet with his Kazakh counterpart and President of Afghanistan in a few hours to confer with them on expansion of bilateral ties and regional issues.