By Li Hongmei
Iranian head of state Hassan Rouhani will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, set for September 13, Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday.
The SCO summit "is of great importance to us, and the president is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the heads of state who attend [the summit]," Mohammad Javad Zarif said.
Rouhani's visit to Kyrgyzstan will be his first foreign trip since taking office on August 4. Founded in 2001, the SCO comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
It aims to consolidate efforts to counter terrorism and radicalization among member countries, and to coordinate work in other areas such as politics and trade. Iran, Afghanistan, India, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status in the organization.
