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SCO to approve Iran's full membership next week, Russian FM says

Friday, 30 June 2023 2:35 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 30 June 2023 3:24 PM ]

Shanghai cooperation organization. (file photo)

Iran will officially join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a full-fledged member at the group’s summit next week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has announced.

"At the meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership of Iran will be approved," Lavrov said at the opening of an SCO center in Moscow on Friday.

Iran first applied for membership in the alliance 15 years ago, but it took until 2021 for the request to be approved.

The SCO, which has its headquarters in China, is a diplomatic organization with eight members, namely Russia, India, Pakistan, and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Set up in 2001, the organization’s members work to tackle joint security issues, cooperate militarily and promote internal trade.

Iran and the organization started a formal process for Tehran’s accession to the bloc in March 2022. In September of the same year, Iran signed a memorandum of commitment to join the SCO. A month later, the Iranian parliament approved the country's accession to the organization.

The July 4 summit will take place in New Delhi via video conference.

Iran: SCO can serve as effective force against unilateralism

Iran underlines the capacities that are lent to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a result of its sheer extent and size of membership.

Back on March 7, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi stressed the role that the SCO could play in creating international convergence and confronting unilateralism.

Speaking with the visiting SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming in Tehran, Raeisi said that the SCO member states have "considerable manpower," "rich resources," and "vast geographical expanse" at their disposal.

"This has created extraordinary capacities for the organization [that it can use] to effectively confront unilateralism and play an effective role in creating regional and international convergence," he added.

For his part, Zhang lauded Tehran's relations with other SCO member states, adding, "We are certain that, given its rich civilizational and historical background, Iran can serve as an active and productive member in expanding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's field of action and strength."

Iran has recently engaged in an active diplomacy drive worldwide, strengthening bonds of friendship with neighboring countries and allies in other regions, notably Latin America.

Tehran has also requested to become a member of another global organization, the BRICS group with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

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