On 10 February, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming met with the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to China, Mr Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh.

The Ambassador congratulated Zhang Ming on his appointment as SCO Secretary-General, praised the organisation's role and potential and expressed hope that Iran would soon be admitted to the SCO in the interests of regional development.

The SCO Secretary-General congratulated the Ambassador on Iran's upcoming National Day and gave him a congratulatory message for Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Zhang Ming noted Iran's positive role on the international scene and expressed his desire to maintain close contact with his Iranian colleagues and to jointly promote long term SCO development.

The parties also exchanged opinions on other matters of mutual interest.