Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 5
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Kyrgyzstan supports Iran's interest in becoming full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Kyrgyzstan's President Almazbek Atambayev said.
He made the remarks on the sidelines of signing a number of memorandums of understanding (MoU) between Iran and Kyrgyzstan in Tehran on Sept. 5.
Iran's full membership in SCO will promote the capabilities of the organization, Atambayev said, Iran's State IRINN TV reported.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, for his part, said that all obstacles ahead of Iran's full membership in the SCO is removed and the organization's other members are also interested in this issue.
Both parties will benefit Iran's full membership, Iranian president stressed.
Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are the six permanent members of the SCO. Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia have observer status at the organization.
Rouhani further touched upon the grounds for boosting mutual cooperation between Tehran and Bishkek, underlining that following the nuclear deal all grounds are prepared for developing the Islamic Republic's relations with entire world in particular the regional countries.
Iran and Kyrgyzstan have decided to make a 10-year plan for the development of bilateral ties, the Islamic Republic president said.
Rouhani said that the climate in Kyrgyzstan provides the capacity for the country to supply the region with electricity. On the other hand, Iran has the needed technical potential to undertake power projects in Kyrgyzstan to realize this purpose, and the two countries can cooperate on this issue, he added.
Tehran is also ready to carry on road and transportation projects in Kyrgyzstan, Rouhani said.
Iran can link Central Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan to international waters via its southern ports, he added.
Iran and Kyrgyzstan signed eight memorandums of understanding (MoU) to boost cooperation in various areas.
The signed documents cover cooperation in the fields of agriculture, energy, air transportation and trade, as well as consular cooperation and sentenced persons' swap.
Atambayev arrived in Tehran, Sept. 4 on an official visit that mainly focuses on expansion of mutual relations.
During his three-day stay in Tehran, the Kyrgyz president is to exchange views with his Iranian counterpart and other top officials on ways to further improve mutual ties in political, economic and cultural fields.
The construction of a new railway track connecting Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China is an important issue on the agenda of talks between the Iranian and Kyrgyz presidents.
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