TEHRAN -- Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber said on Thursday that his country was ready to build a transit corridor aimed at connecting the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

He made the remarks in an address to the organization's 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency.

Mokhber said Iran had taken key steps to be an integral part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), an international transport route linking South Asia to Northern Europe, adding that its participation in the INSTC can be pursued within the SCO framework.

The Iranian vice president also advocated the use of national currencies or a common currency among SCO members and touched on topics such as tech advancement, food and energy security, environmental challenges, and regional security.