Hosted by India, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit kicked off on Tuesday morning to pave the way for the inclusion of Iran and open opportunity for Belarus' membership.
Participating countries discussed key issues including regional security, economic connectivity, and trade, Mint reported.
The virtual summit is joined by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and other leaders of member countries including Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi.
During the meeting, Modi expressed happiness about Iran joining SCO. "I am happy that Iran is going to join the SCO family as a new member," he said.
Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will help implement regional infrastructure projects such as the Chabahar transport corridor, Modi said.
The Chinese president, for his part, said that the SCO members will welcome Iran as an official member in today's summit and extended congratulations to Tehran.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in his speech said that Russia supports Belarus joining the SCO expeditiously, as it is the nearest strategic ally of the Russian Federation. He also welcomed Iran’s entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will now participate in our organization in a full-fledged format. I would like to extend congratulations on this occasion to the president of Iran, Mr. Ebrahim Raeisi, and sincere greetings to him," the Russian leader said.
"In less than two years, our Iranian partners completed all the necessary procedures and now our shared task is to help our colleagues to productively join in the multifaceted activities taking place within the framework of the SCO," Putin added.
The Pakistani prime minister also extended congratulations to Iran over its accession to the Organization. Shehbaz Sherif also called for utilizing the potential of the SCO member countries.
Iran has become a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, according to the New Delhi declaration of the SCO Heads of State Council published on Tuesday.
"Member states stressed the historical significance of the admission of Iran to the SCO as a full member state," the declaration read.
Later on Tuesday, the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran was raised in the SCO headquarters.
Iran signed a memorandum of commitment to obtain the status of an SCO member state at the previous SCO summit in Samarkand in September 2022.
The SCO is an eight-member transcontinental political, economic, and security organization.
The organization was founded by China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan at a summit held in Shanghai in 2001.
Iran submitted its initial application to the alliance 15 years ago. At a session held in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe in September 2021, Iran’s candidacy was accepted.
MP