Nat’l Forum to Discuss Expansion of Economic Ties With SCO

Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture’s Department of International Affairs is scheduled to hold a national forum titled “Economic Interaction Strategies with Silk Road Countries” on Jan. 7, 2021.
The event, which is going to be held in collaboration with the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade’s Department of Education, Research and Technology, will be focused on increasing economic ties with Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states, ICCIMA reported on its website.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a Eurasian political, economic and security alliance, the formation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China, by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Since then, the organization has expanded its membership to eight countries, after India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members on 9 June 2017 at the summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. 
The Heads of State Council is the supreme decision-making body of SCO, which convenes once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all issues of organizational importance.
Held under the chairmanship of Russia, the 20th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a Eurasian alliance focused on economic and political stability across the region, took place virtually on Nov. 10. 
Represented by President Hassan Rouhani, Iran also attended the conference as one of the observer states. Having attained observer status in 2005, Iran officially applied for membership twice in 2008 and 2009 respectively, but it is still waiting to be inducted in 2020.
Even though long-term strategic partnerships are currently being negotiated with both Beijing and Moscow, Tehran has still not been given SCO member status after more than a decade.
Businesspeople willing to participate in the forum can ask for more information on the event and register by contacting +982188227851.