Iran First Vice President Aref arrives in Tajikistan for SCO prime ministerial meeting

Iran's First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref arrived in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, to take part in the prime ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), according to Mehr News Agency.

Upon his arrival at Dushanbe International Airport, Aref was received by Tajikistan's First Deputy Prime Minister Hokim Kholiqzoda, the report said.

Before departing for Tajikistan, Aref said that expanding economic cooperation and advancing work on artificial intelligence are among Iran's priorities at the organization. He described the SCO as a grouping of significant regional countries.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001 with the participation of five or six countries. It now has 10 official members, all of which, according to the report, are significant countries within the region and within what it described as the Iranian civilizational sphere.

The report by Mehr News Agency did not provide further details on the agenda of the Dushanbe meeting or on bilateral talks expected on the sidelines of the event.