CRI听力:SCO Considers Iran's Full Membership

Delivering a speech to the meeting at the Kremlin, Wang Yi has put forward a five-point plan to help bolster the SCO as a regional grouping.

"First, we must insist on the SCO's orientation; second, we must extend more support for each other and work together to safeguard our core interests; third, it is important to solidify and expand our security cooperation to combat threats; fourth, we need to improve pragmatic cooperation to boost economic and trade cooperation; and fifth, we need to prepare for the organization's enlargement."

Expanding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been one of the main discussion points at the Foreign Minister's meeting in Moscow.

A number of countries have expressed interest in becoming full members of the regional grouping, including current observer-state Iran.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Iran's inclusion as a full member of the SCO is likely.

"Iran has been actively engaging in SCO issues as an observer since 2005. Bloc members have discussed Iran's application for SCO membership and reached consensus to raise Iran's position in the organization after its nuclear issue is solved."

While formally a meeting of SCO Foreign Ministers, Russian President Vladimir Putin was on-hand to greet the officials, delivering a speech at the event, focusing no both security and economics.

"Faced with the complicated world situation, the SCO must continue strengthening security cooperation to tackle various challenges, especially to combat the terrorism. Meanwhile, the bloc members also need to deepen economic cooperation. Russia and China recently signed two big projects -- the Silk Road initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union – which is in the interest of SCO members."

China and Russia signed a joint statement on integrating China's Road and Belt initiative with Russia's aspiration under the Eurasian Economic Union framework during Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow last month.

Russia currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO.

This meeting of the group's Foreign Ministers is a prelude to an SCO leaders meeting scheduled in the next few weeks.

Founded in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as full members.

Iran, Afghanistan, India, Mongolia and Pakistan are currently observers.

Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.

The organization was first launched as a regional security grouping.

However, it has since evolved to cover other areas, including politics and economics.

For CRI, I'm Zhao Jianfu.