“We are preparing for the summit in Ufa (Russia). During this summit we will discuss issues of its further intensification, the further concretization of cooperative projects within the SCO, and we will review the issue of expanding the organization,” Lavrov said at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow.
Lavrov said the criteria for adding new members to the SCO were approved during the summit in 2014.
“We will review the applications from a wide range of countries during the summit in Ufa, including India, Pakistan, and Iran,” Lavrov said.
Earlier this month Indian Ambassador to Russia Pundi Srinivasan Raghavan stressed that his country is ready to become a full member of the organization.
In January the spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry expressed Pakistan's willingness to become a member of the SCO and play a constructive role in furthering the organization's strategy. Iran also expressed an aim of permanent SCO membership during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's special envoy's visit to Moscow on January 28.
