Multilateralism is the reality of this century, the Iranian foreign minister said, referring to the approvement of the bill on Iran's permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Iranian Parliament.

Parliament's decisive vote for the bill on Iran's permanent membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) shows the country's determination and seriousness to develop regional, international, and economic cooperation with Asian countries, Hossein AmirAbdollahian tweeted on Sunday.

The approach of multilateralism is the reality of this century, he added.

Earlier on Sunday morning,  the Iranian lawmakers approved the bill with 205 votes in favor, 3 votes against, and 4 abstentions out of a total of 237.

Iran signed a memorandum of obligations to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on September 15. As announced by Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on his Instagram page, “By signing the document for full membership of the SCO, now Iran has entered a new stage of various economic, commercial, transit and energy cooperation.”

The president of Uzbekistan formally announced Iran’s full membership in the SCO at the Samarkand summit. The SCO had accepted Iran’s application for membership last year and it will take a year to complete all the formalities. Most probably, Iran’s full membership is scheduled to take effect from April 2023. But from now on, Iran will now be permitted to attend members-only meetings of the organization. Previously, Iran only enjoyed observer status.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and security organization. It is the world's largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population, covering approximately 60% of the area of Eurasia, 40% of the world population, and more than 30% of the global GDP.

 

 

By MEHR