By NNN-IRNA,
Tehran : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, scheduled for Aug 27-28.
Ahmadinejad will take part in the summit at the invitation of his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rahmon.
Earlier, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhan Zarifi said his country is interested in seeing the Islamic Republic join the organisation.
“Iran plays a crucial role in the region,” he said, adding that the Islamic Republic’s bonds with the SCO would empower the organisation.
“Iran currently has an observer status in the organisation, as do Afghanistan, India, Mongolia and Pakistan,” he said.
China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are the permanent members, he said.
The SCO is an intergovernmental economic organisation which was founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.