صراط عشق صراط عشق
DUSHANBE — Iran joined a
rapidly expanding central Asian security body led by Russia and China on Friday, calling on the countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to help it form a mechanism to avert sanctions imposed by the West.
The body, formed in the 2001 with the participation of Russia, China and ex-Soviet states in Central Asia, expanded four years ago to include India and Pakistan, with a view to playing a bigger role as counterweight to Western influence in the region.
In a sign of its growing influence, the body’s summit in Tajikistan was the first appearance abroad of Iran’s new president, Ebrahimi Raisi, since taking office in August.
“Perfectly pleased to announce that the permanent membership document of the Islamic Republic of Iran was approved by leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Dushanbe in the presence of our esteemed President,” Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian tweeted.
“This strategic membership has an important impact on the process of comprehensive cooperation between Iran in line with the policy of neighborhood with and pivot to Asia,” he added.
“We warmly welcome the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s decision to accept full membership of Iran,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh tweeted.
“Iran’s full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a major step towards expanded relations with its neighbors and an important driver of our Asia-oriented foreign policy,” he said.
“We will continue our efforts to take advantage of indigenous initiatives to advance the interests of the region,” he added.
Raisi hailed the opportunity that membership would provide for Iran, as a country along China’s “Belt and Road” route, to join important trade links across Eurasia.
Raeisi touched on Iran’s vast potentials in terms of geopolitics, population, energy, transportation, manpower, and most importantly spirituality, culture and civilization, saying they can provide a significant impetus to strengthening the SCO and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to link Asia, Europe and beyond.
He also touched on Iran’s crucial role in boosting connectivity through the International North–South Transport Corridor, a 7,200 km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail and road for freight transport between India to Russia and beyond.
“Iran is the link between these three infrastructure projects… Also, the large port of Chabahar in Iran has the capacity to become an exchange center for several members and neighboring countries in a special way and with the efforts of the members, turn to a symbol of cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.”
The decision came as the 21st summit of the organization (SCO) opened in Dushanbe, with Chinese President Xi Jinping telling earlier that Iran would be accepted as a full member.
Leaders from eight member states and four observer states attended the annual summit in Tajikistan’s capital on Friday, with the Chinese leader addressing it virtually along with Russian, Indian and Mongolian presidents.
Xi criticized sanctions imposed on world economic exchanges, urging SCO members to stay united against attacks by other countries.
President Raisi and his counterparts from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended in person.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, joining the talks via video conference after self-isolating over COVID-19 fears, said Iran’s accession will certainly help further increase the organization’s international clout.
“We always support Iran’s full participation in the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization because Iran has played an important role in the Eurasian region and has a long-term positive cooperation with this organization,” he said.
Afghanistan also holds observer status at the SCO, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier this week that the Taliban had not been invited to observe proceedings in Dushanbe.
Putin said Friday the SCO now faces an urgent task to adopt “a coordinated line, taking into account the risks associated with the situation in Afghanistan after the escape of the United States and its NATO allies” from the country.
“We must use the capabilities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to rebuild Afghanistan and counter terrorism and extremism,” he said.
President Xi also said the international community must work together to meet the challenges facing Afghanistan.
“We must encourage Afghanistan to have an inclusive government. We must fight all forms of terrorism. Let’s try to turn Afghanistan into a path of peace and stability,” he said.
