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Iran may play more effective role in SCO

2 June 2017 17:36 (UTC+04:00)
Iran may play more effective role in SCO

By Kamila Aliyeva

Iran may play more effective role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), believes Iran’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology Mahmoud Vaezi.

He made the remarks in one of the panels of the 21st St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2017).

Regional cooperation is now a necessity because the world has changed and the SCO member-states need a louder voice to progress forward their goals, the minister added.

The official hailed the role of the SCO in establishment of peace in the world and its importance for promotion of trade in the region.

He underlined using the SCO capacities for establishment of peace in the region.

Iran with a population of 80 million populations is ready to increase economic cooperation with SCO countries, Vaezi said.

He noted that Iran was part of the Silk Road in the past and it can now play a more effective role within the framework of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

Iran connected its railway to Turkmenistan and the Commonwealth of Nations states and it plans to connect its railroad to Azerbaijan, Vaezi said while elaborating Iran progresses in transit.

The SCO, established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, conducts multilateral cooperation between the member states on national security, military, economy and culture.

The SCO members now are China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The territories of the six member states consist of 1.5 billion people, which equals to a quarter of the world's population. In addition to the six member states, the SCO has two new acceding members, India and Pakistan; four observer nations – Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan and Belarus – and six dialogue partners, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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