Iran has taken a step toward joining an Asian security organization that is dominated by China and Russia, as Tehran attempts to break out of the economic isolation caused by US sanctions.
Iran has joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is hosting a conference this week in Uzbekistan, according to Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
The organization, which was founded in 2001 as a meeting place for ex-Soviet governments in Central Asia, Russia, China, and China, was enlarged to include India and Pakistan for four years with the intention of providing a more potent counterbalance to Western dominance in the region.
The central Asian security organization last year approved Iran’s application for membership, and Tehran’s hardline leaders urged countries to support it in creating a mechanism to avoid Western sanctions over its contentious nuclear program.
Iran has now entered a new stage of different economic, commercial, transit, and energy cooperation after signing the agreement for full membership in the SCO, Amirabdollahian stated on his Instagram page.
Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, was in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Thursday for the conference. According to Iranian state TV, he met privately with Vladimir Putin of Russia.
The central Asian security organization last year approved Iran’s application for membership, and Tehran’s hardline leaders urged countries to support it in creating a mechanism to avoid Western sanctions over its contentious nuclear program.
