TEHRAN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Vice President for Economic Affairs Mohsen Rezaei said that Iran attached importance to obtain a permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), viewing it an opportunity to develop Iran's foreign relations.
In a tweet, Rezaei said it's a chance to take an important step to turn Iran into an economic corridor between East and West, and between south and north Eurosia.
The permanent membership is also an opportunity to shape Iran's foreign policy on the basis of the "principle of balance," he added.
The decision to start admitting Iran as a full member from an observer was declared on Friday in the 21st summit of the SCO leaders in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
On Sunday, Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, said Iran and the SCO can benefit from each other's capacities to "improve the relations and position of the organization," semi-official Mehr News Agency reported.
Moreover, the spokesman said a "serious agreement" was reached in the summit concerning the situation in Afghanistan, including matters such as the formation of an Afghan "inclusive government" and the opposition to foreign interference in the country. Enditem
