Iran president to tour Central Asia
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
TEHRAN, Aug 13 (AFP): President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday embarks on a three-nation tour of Central Asia to attend a major regional summit meeting and bolster Iran's links with neighbouring states.
The president will hold talks with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Kabul Tuesday before leaving for Turkmenistan and then attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Kyrgyzstan.
A source in the president's office said Ahmadinejad would be seeking to raise Iran's status at the SCO group-which brings together Russia and China with other Central Asian states-from observer to full member.
"On Tuesday, the president will go to Afghanistan for a one-day visit to reinforce bilateral ties and elevate cooperation," the source told the news agency.
"The visit to Turkmenistan will be for one day to boost bilateral ties. On Thursday he will arrive in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for the summit with the aim of changing Iran's status from observer to member."
During the SCO summit, Ahmadinejad was to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao and other regional leaders, the source said.
The talks with the presidents of permanent UN Security Council members China and Russia come amid further warnings by Western powers that Tehran faces a third set of UN sanctions over its controversial nuclear programme.
The president will hold talks with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Kabul Tuesday before leaving for Turkmenistan and then attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Kyrgyzstan.
A source in the president's office said Ahmadinejad would be seeking to raise Iran's status at the SCO group-which brings together Russia and China with other Central Asian states-from observer to full member.
"On Tuesday, the president will go to Afghanistan for a one-day visit to reinforce bilateral ties and elevate cooperation," the source told the news agency.
"The visit to Turkmenistan will be for one day to boost bilateral ties. On Thursday he will arrive in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek for the summit with the aim of changing Iran's status from observer to member."
During the SCO summit, Ahmadinejad was to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao and other regional leaders, the source said.
The talks with the presidents of permanent UN Security Council members China and Russia come amid further warnings by Western powers that Tehran faces a third set of UN sanctions over its controversial nuclear programme.