Iran to become a member of SCO - Russian foreign ministry declares -

Tehran/Moscow: Iran will be included as a new member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during the meeting, which will be held in Uzbekistan in two days. Russian Foreign Ministry announced that this would strengthen the SCO further. While the United States and European countries claim that the nuclear deal with Iran has been delayed, the announcement of Iran’s inclusion in the SCO is a massive issue on the strategic level.

The number of members of this organization, which was first established as ‘Shanghai Five’ in 2001, is increasing. It is known as the largest association of countries in Europe and Asia, known as Eurasia. It claims to have 40% of the world’s population and huge financial power. There were reports that, along with Asian countries, Middle Eastern countries were also trying to become members of this organization.

The member countries of this organization are Russia, India, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia are observer countries of SCO. But Iran and Belarus may join the organization at the annual ‘SCO meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15th and 16th. The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced that the proposal to include Iran in the SCO would be approved.

The spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry informed that the process of inclusion of Iran in this organization would begin in the presence of the heads of state of Russia, India and China. After that, Iran will be included in this organization after the next two years.’ Zakharova indicated that Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar will be included as negotiating partners in this year’s meeting. This group includes Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Therefore, it seems that ‘SCO’ is expanding by including Saudi and Egypt.

Israel’s media has been reacting to Iran’s inclusion in the SCO. The Israeli media is criticizing the fact that the SCO includes countries with dictatorial regimes, except India. The United States has not responded yet. However, there are indications that the United States, eager to sign a nuclear deal with Iran, has been severely jolted by Iran’s participation in the SCO. After the United States and European countries announced that the nuclear deal with Iran had become difficult, the news of Iran’s participation in the SCO was released. This is not a coincidence, but it is being revealed that it is part of the Iranian strategy along with Russia and China against the West.

Iran has shown that if the United States and European countries refuse to sign the nuclear agreement, the option of joining the Russia-China group is open to them. Including a fuel-producing country like Iran in this organization can be a more challenging matter for the West. By participating in a powerful organization like SCO and increasing fuel exports and trade, the impact of economic sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and European countries will be reduced further. This makes Iran’s participation in the SCO important economically and strategically.