IRNA – Iran is preparing itself to acquire permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), says the Foreign Ministry spokesman.

“There are 30 documents and articles of associations that are required to be studied and ratified based on our regulations,” Bahram Qasemi said during his weekly press conference on Monday.

He said that the process is underway for getting full SCO membership.

“But it is a lengthy and complicated process,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman added.

Elaborating on the reason for Iran’s absence in the recent summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Kazakhstan, Qasemi said that examining Iran’s full membership was not on the agenda in the meeting.

“More time is needed for Iran’s case to be raised in the organization, but we are following the issue, and we will continue studying the SCO documents,” he said.

SCO, a regional intergovernmental organization, was founded in Shanghai in 1996 by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has an observer status in the organization.

The Western-imposed sanctions have been the main obstacle hampering Iran’s full SCO membership.