The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) hosted by India on Tuesday officially approved the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the organization. The summit was launched to pave the way for Iran's accession and create an opportunity for Belarus' membership.
Participating countries are also discussing important issues such as regional security, economic connectivity and trade, Mint reported.
The virtual summit was attended by leaders of other member states, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi.
CONGRATULATIONS TO IRAN
During the meeting, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his satisfaction with Iran joining the organization.
Chinese leader Xi said that his members would welcome Iran as an official member at today's summit and congratulated the new member of the organization.
Putin, for his part, noted the accession of Belarus, Russia's biggest strategic ally. He welcomed Iran's accession. Putin said the SCO is committed to building a just world order with a central role for the United Nations (UN).
The Prime Minister of Pakistan also sent his congratulations to Iran.
Iran has completed all the necessary procedures and it was announced at the New Delhi summit that the Islamic State will join the SCO as the ninth of its eight members.
WHAT IS THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION?
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), also known as the Shanghai Five and the Shanghai Pact, is an international organization formed in 1996 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In 2001, it increased its membership to six with the accession of Uzbekistan. In 2017, at a summit in Astana, India and Pakistan joined the organization, bringing the number of members to eight.
Iran first applied to the political, economic and security organization 15 years ago. In 2021, Iran's candidacy was accepted at a session held in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
Source: MEHR
