SCO expands with Iran’s admission as full member, Putin backs speedy accession of Belarus

The national flag of Iran was raised at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretariat compound in Beijing on Tuesday, as the country became the ninth member of the organization. SCO secretary-general Zhang Ming and Iranian Ambassador to China Mohsen Bakhtiar attended the ceremony. The ambassador also noted that SCO plays a crucial role in addressing terrorism and extremism and Iran’s participation in the SCO strengthens regional security collaboration. Iran was granted an observer status of the SCO in 2005 and began applying for SCO membership in 2008. At the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO on the same day, Russian President Putin congratulated Iranian President and addressed a speech. He said his country is “being waged a hybrid war” added that “illegitimate” sanctions are being used against it. Putin also referenced Russia’s ally Belarus, saying it supports its accession to the SCO. The SCO was founded in 2001 with China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In 2017, India and Pakistan joined as full members during the SCO’s first round of expansion. __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!