Iran to sign agreement to become full-member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The Cradle, September 13, 2022 — The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the largest regional organization and accounts for 30% of the global GDP.

During a press briefing, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov announced that Iran will attend the 2023 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in India as a full member.

This would make the Islamic Republic of Iran the 9th member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

“Memorandums will be signed on the obligations of Iran in order to obtain membership in the association. This means that, after fulfilling these obligations, Iran will participate as a full member at the next summit,” Ushakov announced to the press.

“There will no longer be a group of eight countries, but nine,” the official added.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani confirmed the news, saying that “the process of Iran’s admission [to the organization] is coming to an end. At the upcoming meeting of the SCO, an agreement will be officially signed on Iran’s obligations to obtain the status of a member of the organization.”

“Iran, as an important country in the region, thanks to its energy resources, great economic potential, and location along the route of the North-South transport corridor, has the potential to benefit the SCO,” he said, adding that “Iran’s membership in the organization is expedient and mutually beneficial.”

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a multilateral body that was founded in 2011. It is comprised of Russia, India, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as Belarus, Mongolia, and Afghanistan take on the role of observer states, while Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey are partner countries of the organization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi will also meet on the sidelines of the SCO summit that will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15-16, to discuss the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and further cooperation between the two countries.

 

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