The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held its 21st summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Friday. During the meeting, the leaders of the eight main members of the Organisation agreed to upgrade Iran’s membership from an observer to a full member and signed relevant documents in this regard.
The meeting was chaired by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistani PM Imran Khan, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev were also present.
In addition, heads of state of Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia attended the summit as heads of SCO observer states. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov also participated as a guest of the current SCO Chair.
Here are the major takeaways from the addresses at the summit:
Iran
“Iran’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which took place at the Tajikistan summit, was a diplomatic success,” Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi said. He added, “The presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the main member of the SCO creates a strong economic connection for the people of our country, which means connecting Iran to the economic infrastructure of Asia and the sustainable resources resulting from it.”
Furthermore, Raisi stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should cooperate to take advantage of the opportunity. “Connecting to the Asian economic infrastructure is a valuable opportunity for the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
Russia
Noting that several SCO members share borders with Afghanistan, Putin said the Organisation’s “potential” must be used “to provide all-round assistance to launching an inclusive intra-Afghan peace process and, simultaneously, to block the threats of terrorism, drug trafficking and religious extremism coming from that country.”
Regarding Iran’s full membership, the Russian President said, “We have always advocated Iran’s full participation in the work of our Organisation, proceeding from the premise that this country plays an important role in the Eurasian region and has been fruitfully cooperating with the SCO for a long time. There is no doubt that Iran’s accession to the SCO will further strengthen the Organisation’s international standing.”
China
In his speech, President Xi assured: “In the next three years, China will provide 1,000 training opportunities in poverty alleviation for other SCO countries, open 10 Luban Workshops, and launch 30 cooperation projects in such areas as health, poverty relief, culture and education under the framework of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative.”
Additionally, Xi promised that “to facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach US$2.3 trillion in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years.”
He also welcomed Iran to the grouping.
India
PM Modi highlighted “the uncontrolled flow of drugs, illegal weapons and human trafficking” as he spoke of the recent developments in Afghanistan.
“A large number of advanced weapons remain in Afghanistan. Due to these, there will be a risk of instability in the entire region. The RATS mechanism of SCO can play a constructive role in monitoring these flows and enhancing information-sharing,” he said.
Pakistan
PM Khan also aired his concerns regarding the situation in Afghanistan. “Abandoning Afghanistan could take us back to an unstable situation resulting in civil strife, negative spill-over effect on neighbouring countries, the outflow of refugees, rise in terrorist incidents, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime. Engagement, therefore, in our view, is the only way forward,” he said.
“We have dispatched several plane-loads of food and medicines to help address the humanitarian needs of Afghans,” Khan added.
SUMMARY: SCO Summit
Iran’s bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was approved after almost 15 years.
September 20, 2021
SOURCE: IRANIAN PRESIDENCY OFFICE via AP