Iran to become full member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation under India as chair
India Today
Iran is set to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2023 when India takes over as the chair of the bloc.
Iran is set to become a permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2023, when India will take over as the chair of the bloc. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in the city of Samarkand on Wednesday to participate in the SCO leadership meeting, becoming the first Iranian president in 20 years to visit Uzbekistan.
This summit would initiate the process of Iran becoming a full member of the SCO by 2023.
Speaking exclusively to India Today, Rahmatulla Nurimbetov, national coordinator of Uzbekistan on SCO issues said, “Most importantly, we will sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran which opens Iran to be a full member of the SCO during the India chairmanship of 2023 if it fulfils all the obligations.”
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Iran signed the commitment document on Wednesday itself for member state status which was announced by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Twitter. "Now we have entered a new stage of various economic, commercial, transit, energy and cooperation," he wrote.
He added that the organisation's secretary general "congratulated" Iran for its permanent accession and called it an "important development”.
The summit will be “historic” since it is entering its third decade, emphasised Rahmatulla Nurimbetov, adding "the next presidency will go to India. India will be the chair for the first time. We are prepared for the transformation of the SCO with a very solid package of documents with new strategic perspectives not only in the traditional areas of security and stability but also development, digital transformation, connectivity and economy.”
