TEHRAN – Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua has said that his country supports the membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Speaking in the meeting on the development of trade exchanges between Iran and China in Bandar Anzali, Hua said that China is ready to strengthen cooperation with developing countries.
Emphasizing the need to develop relations between the two countries of Iran and China, he added that Iran has had a special place in the Silk Road since ancient times and today it plays an important role in the One Belt One Road project.
Pointing out that the Iranian government attaches great importance to economic development, the Chinese envoy said that his country supports the membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Recently, the Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali in an interview with TASS News Agency said that Tehran is preparing the necessary documents to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
“The process of obtaining full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization consists of numerous stages that a candidate country needs to implement within the established time frame,” he said.
“According to the schedule, Iran is preparing documents, passing through these stages and notifying the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on a regular basis,” the envoy added.
Tehran’s admission was accepted at the Dushanbe summit last year when Tajikistan was the Shanghai Pact’s rotating chair. However, finalizing that process could take two years.
The SCO was formed in 2001 and today has nine members: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. Together, they account for 40% of the world’s population and 28% of its gross domestic product (GDP). Observer states include Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia.