Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Zhang Ming, during which he noted that the SCO plays a prominent role in the system of international relations.

The President also said that Tehran attaches great importance to cooperation with the SCO states. 

“The member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have significant human resources and population, rich (natural. -

RT

) resources and reserves, as well as vast territories, which allows this organization to play a role in effectively solving the problem of unipolarity and promoting regional and international rapprochement,” Raisi emphasized. 

In turn, Zhang Ming highly appreciated the prospects for interaction with Tehran within the framework of the SCO.

“We are confident that, taking into account the rich history of this country, Iran can be an active and constructive participant in expanding the scope and powers of the SCO to achieve its goals,” he said.

The secretary general of the organization also discussed the process of joining the country with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri.

“We view the SCO as an institution of cooperation between independent and strong countries.

The multilateral approach of the SCO indicates that its activities are not exclusively of a protocol nature, but meet the needs of countries in the field of security and politics, TASS quotes Bagheri as saying.

“The SCO differs from many Western organizations in that it was formed on the basis of the decisions of independent countries and adheres to the principle of respecting the independence and sovereignty of states, which ensures the development of long-term solutions to international problems.”

in new status

Recall that on September 15, 2022, Iran signed a memorandum of commitment, which opened the way for the country to full membership in the SCO.

The document was signed by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Secretary General of the organization Zhang Ming.

At the end of November, the Iranian parliament adopted a bill on the country's entry into the SCO.

And at the end of January 2023, the Majlis approved a bill on a memorandum of commitment in order to obtain the status of a SCO member state.

Thus, Tehran has completed all the necessary legal formalities for membership in the organization.

  • Vladimir Putin speaks at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

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Iranian Deputy Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Adyany, commenting on this step, said that the country's entry into the organization is of particular importance from the economic, social and international points of view in order to overcome sanctions, as well as to strengthen economic diplomacy with the SCO member countries.

In 2005, Iran became an observer state in the SCO, and the process of the country's entry into the organization began in 2021.

Now the SCO includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia have observer status, while Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka have the status of dialogue partners.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has previously stated that Moscow considers Iran's accession to the SCO as a very useful decision, and this position is shared by other partners in the organization.

The Foreign Ministry noted that the Russian Federation proceeds from the prospects of Iran's active involvement in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, ensuring stability and security not only in the region, but also in a broader format.

In addition, the developed infrastructure makes it possible to count on Iran's contribution to the formation of a single transport space and to ensuring transport security, Moscow noted.

“From the point of view of Russian policy, we consider Iran as a natural part of the SCO space, as well as Afghanistan,” emphasized the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for SCO Affairs, Ambassador-at-Large of the Foreign Ministry Bakhtiyor Khakimov.

In turn, the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, expressed the opinion back in June 2022 that the process of Iran's entry into the SCO would not take much time.

“We are convinced that Tehran will make a significant contribution to strengthening the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as one of the key centers of the emerging multipolar world order,” he stressed.

At the end of January, Lavrov announced that the SCO was preparing to accept Iran and Belarus into its ranks as full members.

“Next in line is the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a full member.

One step behind, but also already in line with the official procedures for joining the SCO membership, Belarus,” said the head of the Foreign Ministry.

Optimal Scenario

As Grigory Lukyanov, an expert of the Russian International Affairs Council, noted in a RT commentary, Iran has for many years demonstrated interest in the SCO both at the sites of the organization itself and at bilateral meetings with leaders and representatives of China and the Russian Federation.

“For Iran, the SCO is not just a symbolic organization, but a real tool for solving urgent issues for a country that is under long-term sanctions from Western countries.

These are issues of economic development, trade and security.

In the field of security, the SCO platform is now especially relevant as a means of coordinating the countries that are Afghanistan's neighbors,” the political scientist said.

He stressed that Iran is pursuing a very consistent policy, to which the SCO itself and its member countries decided to respond positively.

“The prospect of Iran's participation in the SCO is quite clear.

The organization can be expected to expand as early as 2023.

This will be a serious step demonstrating the viability of the SCO... its development and relevance in modern realities,” Lukyanov said.

  • Isfahan city in Iran

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Iran's accession to the SCO is the most optimal scenario for this country in the current military-political situation in the world, Vladimir Sotnikov, a senior researcher at the Department of the Center for International Security at IMEMO and the Department of the Near and Middle East at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a conversation with RT.

“Iran is facing pressure from the collective West and understands that economically and politically its future is tied to the SCO.

Tehran reaffirmed its adherence to the principles of the SCO and has been loyal to them from the very beginning.

In addition, for a long time Iran was in the status of an observer at the organization and fulfilled all the conditions in this status.

Now the time has come when the Iranians will fully enter the organization and will develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia and China, despite pressure from outside, coming from the West,” the analyst emphasized.

In his opinion, full-fledged membership of Iran in the SCO will be an acquisition for all member countries of the organization.

“Iran is a very capacious market and a promising partner for all SCO countries.

For Russia, this is also a very important strategic partner, and cooperation within the SCO is already underway in various areas: energy, transport, parliamentary interaction, and culture,” Sotnikov said.

“I would like to remind you that the potential of Iran has not yet been fully revealed and is obvious to many players in the geopolitical arena.

It is very important for Russia now that in the face of such unprecedented pressure from the West, it can increase its cooperation with Iran and SCO partners, so the forecasts are the most favorable, ”concluded the expert.