Iran will officially become a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as confirmed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, signifying Iran’s efforts to enhance its international relations and economic prospects.
Iran will be formally approved as a member of the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organization with China, Russia, and Central Asian countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
“At the meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership of Iran will be approved,” Lavrov said at the opening of an SCO center in Moscow.
Iran has intensified its diplomacy with friends and foes alike in recent months, seeking to reduce its isolation, improve its economy, and project strength.
SCO membership was already on the cards. Iran also hopes to be quickly accepted into another grouping that excludes Western countries, the BRICS group with Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
The SCO, headquartered in China, is a diplomatic organization with eight members, including India and Pakistan.
Kremlin ally Belarus is also applying to join, and Lavrov said Friday that next week’s virtual summit would “begin the procedure” for that membership to go ahead.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
