Iran's Official Membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to Be Discussed at Summit

A senior Chinese diplomat has stated that Iran's official membership in the 'Shanghai Cooperation Organization' will be discussed at the upcoming summit of leaders. This Chinese official mentioned that Beijing supports Iran's membership in this organization. Last year, the Shanghai Organization rejected discussions on Iran's official membership. The summit is set to take place from June 8 to 9 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, the presidents of key member states, in attendance. India and Pakistan are also expected to officially join the 'Shanghai Cooperation Organization' at this gathering. Last year, Russia attempted to initiate the preliminary steps for Iran's official membership, which faced opposition at the time, indicating a divergence of opinions between Moscow and Beijing, according to Reuters. Moscow claims that now that international sanctions related to Tehran's nuclear program have been lifted, Iran can join this regional organization. Li Hui-lai, assistant to the Chinese foreign minister, stated on June 5 that Iran has had an 'active participation' in the activities of the Shanghai Organization and has a 'positive presence' in its development. According to Mr. Li, 'China welcomes this issue very much' and 'supports Iran's request for official membership.' This senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official added that 'it seems that in the upcoming meeting, all parties' will 'honestly discuss' the issue of Iran's official membership. Iran has been an observer member of this organization since 2005. The 'Shanghai Cooperation Organization' was founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. In the coming days, India and Pakistan will also officially join it. An agreement on the membership of these two countries was reached in 2015. Last November, China expressed its willingness to consider any membership proposal from Turkey for the 'SCO.' Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, a NATO member, had previously stated that his country might be able to join this organization.