Impediments to Iran's entry into SCO lifted, its request may soon be processed - Russian diplomat
MOSCOW. Nov 22 (Interfax) - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) may start to process the Iranian request for membership in the foreseeable future, Special Representative of the Russian President for SCO Affairs, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador at Large Bakhtiyer Khakimov told Interfax.
"We have the application filed by Iran in 2008. Iran was under sanctions for a long period of time. Now Russia and other partners underscore that every impediment to the admission of Iran has been lifted," the diplomat said.
"Negotiations with other partners are ongoing; let us hope that this application will also be processed in the foreseeable future," he said.
As to the possibility of processing Iran's application in 2017, he said, "this is still an open question."
Khakimov explained the delay in processing the Iranian application by saying that "the absence of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council is a criterion of compliance with the member country's status."
