Russia views Iran's joining the Shanghai cooperation organization (SCO) as a very useful decision, and SCO partners share this position, Russian presidential special representative for SCO affairs Bakhtiyor Khakimov made the statement in an online briefing on Thursday.
"Taking into account the statements and assurances that have been given both by Iran's previous leadership and in the speech of Iran's new president [Ebrahim] Raisi about Iran's willingness to open up and give all its available potential to the SCO, there are very good reasons to believe that this will be very useful. The relevant decision by SCO member states was, of course, made on the basis of a careful analysis of the totality of factors. From this point of view our position coincides with that of our partners," he said.
According to Khakimov, the Russian side proceeds from "the prospects of Iran's active involvement in such areas as the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, stability and security not only in the region, but also in a broader format."
"We proceed from the fact that Iran is an active participant in the One Belt, One Road project on the one hand, and the North-South project on the other. And the developed transport infrastructure allows us to count on Iran's contribution to the formation of common transport space, to ensuring transport security," he continued. - "Iran is ready to join the sphere of ensuring food security".
Khakimov urged to take into account when assessing the decision on Iran, its "geographical and geostrategic location, as well as economic, political and other potential". "From the point of view of Russian policy, we regard Iran as a natural part of the Black Sea region, as well as Afghanistan," he pointed out. - "We see Mongolia, which participates in the activity of the organization as an observer, as a natural part.
"Obviously, it would work even more for the expansion of the SCO space to include Turkmenistan in this or that capacity," Khakimov added.
SCO accession process
On September 17, participants in the Shanghai cooperation organization summit in Dushanbe signed a document suggesting that the process of Iran's admission to the association should begin. As Russian president Vladimir Putin said at the summit, Moscow supports the start of the process of admitting Tehran to the SCO.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS