Iran’s full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be formalized at the upcoming meeting of the SCO heads of state, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
"An increasing number of states are striving to establish ties with the SCO. Iran's full membership will be formalized at the upcoming July 4 meeting of the Council of Heads of State," Lavrov said at the presentation of the SCO People's Diplomacy Center.
The SCO Council of Heads of State to be chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be held virtually on July 4.
All the SCO member states and observers, including Iran, Belarus, Mongolia, and Turkmenistan, have been invited to attend. The decision was taken due to “a totality of various factors”. Indian officials expressed confidence that the summit would produce notable outcomes.
India’s chairmanship of the SCO is marked by intense mutually beneficial cooperation, the country's Ministry of External Affairs has said. Since September, India has hosted 134 SCO events, including 14 meetings at the ministerial level.
The SCO currently comprises eight countries—Russia, India, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Besides Iran, Belarus is also expected to become a fully-fledged member of the Beijing-based grouping.
Noting the growing interest of other countries in the grouping, SCO’s Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Gregory Logvinov has said that the organization was becoming a “center of attraction” for nations wanting to avoid geopolitical confrontation.