Iran FM: Categorical approval of SCO accession by parl., sign of Iran’s will to develop all-out intl. cooperation

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the strong support of the country’s parliament for Tehran's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is indicative of the Islamic Republic’s determination to boost all-out international cooperation.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remark in a Sunday tweet in reaction to a unanimous vote by the Iranian lawmakers earlier the same day to approve Iran’s accession to the major regional organization.

The bill on accession to the SCO was passed by the Iranian parliament with 205 votes in favor.

Abolfazl Amouei, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy said following the Sunday vote that the Iranian government must now approve the organizations’ main documents to pave the way for Tehran's permanent membership at the organization.

In his tweet Iran’s top diplomat said, “The Islamic Consultative Assembly’s categorical vote for the bill on the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is indicative of our country’s resolve and seriousness to develop regional, international and economic cooperation and bolster [the country’s] approach to Asia.”

“The multilateral approach is the reality of the present century,” Amir-Abdollahian added.

Iran signed a memorandum of commitments for joining the SCO in mid-September with Amir-Abdollahian hailing the development as a measure taken by the country to enter a new phase of interaction with the body.

The top diplomat announced the signing of the document in a tweet as he was accompanying Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi on a visit to the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, which hosted a summit of the SCO.

Iran signs memorandum of commitments to join SCO

Iran hails signing a memorandum of commitments to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

"Tonight, in the historical city of Samarkand, I signed the memorandum of commitments of Iran's permanent membership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with the [body's] secretary-general," Amir-Abdollahian wrote in his tweet.

"Now, we have entered a new stage of diverse economic, commercial, transit, energy, etc. cooperation [with the body's member states]," the foreign minister added.

The SCO was founded by China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in 2001, and currently forms the world's biggest regional market with eight official members and three observer states.

Iran and the organization started a formal process for Tehran’s accession to the bloc in March. Iran's membership in the body was later approved by the Iranian administration.

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