Uzbekistan summit to decide on Iran’s full SCO membership: Deputy FM
Mehdi Safari, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy said on Monday that the fate of the country’s full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be determined at its Wednesday summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
President Ebrahim Raisi is set to attend the summit in the southeastern Uzbek city, which marks the 22nd gathering of heads of states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Safari said that the SCO is a key bloc in terms of different factors, including transit and energy; both of them having key importance for Iran.
He said that President Raisi will also hold bilateral meetings with Uzbek officials, adding that almost two dozen contracts are set to be signed by the two sides to boost mutual cooperation, including on energy.
Back in September 2021, Iran’s bid to become a full member of the SCO was approved by the organization’s seven permanent members which are Russia, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, and Pakistan.
Iran currently holds observer status at the SCO which accounts for nearly one-third of the world’s land and is regarded as the largest regional organization in the globe.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization covers more than 30% of global GDP.