(IRNA) - Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here Monday that the Iranian government and nation would not yield to imposed solutions aimed at depriving the people of their rights.
Mottaki made the remarks while addressing the 14th international conference of Central Asia and the Caucasus dubbed `Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): Prospects and Opportunities' which opened here on Monday, reports Trend.
"Threats and sanctions cannot deprive nations of their inalienable rights.
"We believe that it is the duty of international organizations, the United Nations Security Council in particular, to protect the rights of states and not to cause obstacles in the exercise of these rights," he said.
He expressed regret over the way the Security Council discharges its functions, saying "the ongoing process of decision making in the Security Council is illegal, politically motivated and in line with specific goals of certain permanent states, particularly the US and Britain."
Pointing to Iran's desire to become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the minister said there has been no decision yet on the procedure for accepting new states." He noted that Iran had expressed readiness to become a member of the organization.
He said Iran, if it is accepted as a member of the organization, will bring into the organization its "high potentials as well as new and constructive plans."
In this three-day conference, domestic and foreign researchers will discuss the SCO's goals and structure, the organization's potentials and resources, convergence of members and expansion of political, economic, security and cultural ties among SCO members.
The SCO's role in regional and international developments, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are among other topics that will be raised in the conference.