SCO Membership Chance to Improve Int’l Collaboration

Iran’s admission as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization provides a considerable opportunity for the country’s foreign policy to improve bilateral and multilateral cooperation, an Iranian lawmaker said.
“The membership can be seen as a chance for further interaction with SCO participants, such as China, Russia, Central Asian countries, India and Pakistan,” Abolfazl Amoui, spokesman for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy, said in an interview with ISNA. 
He highlighted the massive capacities of this organization in terms of the members’ population and high total GDP, saying it is one of the most renowned regional organizations. 
Through multilateral collaborations within the organization, Iran can influence international trends and use that to boost its national economy, he added. 
“On this basis, ideas such as using trade mechanisms impervious to western sanctions or using national currencies are being reviewed within the SCO,” he said.  
Iran was an observer member of the organization since 2005, but had made a request for full membership, which was finally agreed to at the 21st meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe in September 2021.
During the 23rd summit on Tuesday, Iran’s admission to the SCO as a full member was officially approved. 
The SCO was established with purpose of countering terrorism and forging security and political cooperation, but given the potential of its members, it later stepped toward collaboration in economy and infrastructural development, according to Amoui. 
Today, he said, besides the meeting of heads of states and foreign ministers, telecommunication and transportation ministers and heads of central banks also hold meetings and members to discuss ways to improve cooperation. 
The lawmaker expressed hope that with the appointment of a national SCO coordinator by the foreign ministry, Iran will be able to exploit the capacities of the organization to its fullest.