Parliament Passes Bill on SCO Membership
TEHRAN – Iranian lawmakers on Sunday unanimously approved a bill on the accession of Iran to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic and security body based in China.
All the 205 legislators present at the session voted ‘Yes’ to the generalities and details of the bill on the Islamic Republic’s permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The measure authorized the Iranian administration to sign 49 documents required for permanent SCO membership in line with efforts to promote the Islamic Republic’s “economic, cultural, security and political interactions and cooperation with regional organizations.”
In September, Iran signed a memorandum of commitment for its permanent membership in the powerful regional grouping, a year after the SCO approved Tehran’s accession application.
The SCO alliance was founded by China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in 2001 and is recognized as the world’s largest regional organization, with eight members and four observer states.
Iran had acquired observer status in the organization in June 2005.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said the strong support of the country’s parliament for Tehran’s accession is indicative of the Islamic Republic’s determination to boost all-out international cooperation.
Abolfazl Amouei, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, said following the Sunday vote that the Iranian government must now approve the organizations’ main documents to pave the way for Tehran’s permanent membership at the organization.
In his tweet Iran’s top diplomat said, “The Islamic Consultative Assembly’s categorical vote for the bill on the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is indicative of our country’s resolve and seriousness to develop regional, international and economic cooperation and bolster [the country’s] approach to Asia.”
“The multilateral approach is the reality of the present century,” Amir-Abdollahian added.