Iran to join SCO next week: Lavrov
Iran to become an official member of SCO
Iranwill be formally approved as a member of the regionalShanghaiCooperation Organisation withChina, Russia and Central Asian countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
"At the meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership ofIranwill be approved," Lavrov said at the opening of an SCO centre in Moscow.
Iranhas intensified its diplomacy with friends and foes alike in recent months, seeking to reduce its isolation, improve its economy and project strength.
SCO membership was already on the cards andIranis also hoping to be quickly accepted into another grouping that excludes Western countries -- the BRICS group with Brazil, Russia, India,Chinaand South Africa.
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The SCO, which has its headquarters inChina, is a diplomatic organisation with eight members, including India and Pakistan.
Kremlin ally Belarus is also applying tojoin, and Lavrov said Friday that next week's virtual summit would "begin the procedure" for that membership to go ahead.
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