Leaders of Russia, China and India have welcomed Iran as the ninth member of Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Russian foreign minister says Iran’s full membership will be approved in the group’s summit on July 4.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the West’s desire to maintain its hegemony on the world stage is increasing the risks of conflict, slamming the US and its allies for using Ukraine as "cannon fodder".

On September 16, the second day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand, China’s President Xi Jinping called on members of the Central Asian grouping to work together to prevent “external forces” from instigating “color revolutions” in the region.