Iran's 15-year wait ends, secures full membership in Shanghai Cooperation bloc

I am happy that Iran is going to join SCO family as new member, says PM Modi

Iran is on course to gain the full membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the world's largest regional organisation in terms of geographic scope and population.

The world leaders gathered virtually on July 4 for the summit hosted by India, mutually seeking to expand the influence of the Eurasian group by including Iran and opening a path to membership for Belarus.

Although Iran originally requested to join the alliance 15 years ago, the membership was not approved until 2021 as the SCO follows a rigorous process of admission.

In his address to the leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Iran into the league. "Happy (that) Iran is becoming a member of (the) SCO grouping," he said, adding that India will sign a pact to pave the way for Belarus to become a member.

The SCO is a trade and security bloc that was founded in 2001 and includes as full members China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In addition to the full members, the SCO also includes Afghanistan and Mongolia as observers, and dialogue partners in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Cambodia, Egypt, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, and the UAE. They will also be present, along with guests, who will include ASEAN and the CIS blocs, Turkmenistan, and the UN.