Armenia and Azerbaijan Seek Observer Status in Shanghai Cooperation Organization According to Lavrov

Azerbaijan and Armenia are candidates for observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as reported by TASS. He emphasized that there are many applicants for this status, including some Arab and Asian countries.

The head of Russian foreign policy reminded that last year Iran received ‘official candidate status’ in the SCO, and its accession process has already begun.
“There are still several candidates for observer status and for dialogue partner status. Various Arab countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and several Asian countries have shown such interest. Consultations at the level of foreign policy agencies will continue until the summit,” said the representative of Russian diplomacy.

The summit of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO member countries will take place on September 15-16 this year in Samarkand.