Iran will be admitted to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this year, a memorandum on Iran's commitments as an SCO member will be signed at a summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan's acting foreign minister Vladimir Norov said, RIA Novosti reported.

"This year, within the framework of Uzbekistan's presidency, Iran will be admitted as an observer country to the SCO... A memorandum on Iran's obligations as an SCO member will also be signed in Samarkand," Norov said at a roundtable in Moscow.