Iran BRICS membership to soon be materialized, Raisi says

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Jun 2023 23:26
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi underlines that his country's membership in the BRICS alliance will soon be realized.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi attends a mid-day prayer at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 24, 2023 (AP)

Iran's membership in the BRICS alliance will soon come to fruition, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said during an administrative meeting in the province of East Azerbaijan with the participation of a group of economic activists and businessmen.

Talking about the recent news about Iran getting linked with the infrastructure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU), as well as the country's preparations for Iran's membership in the BRICS group, the president said, "Today, we are present in the world markets, and the high-ranking officials of some countries have officially demanded many of our products."

The Uzbekistan-held 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit held in September 2022 announced Iran's full accession to the organization.

Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev officially recognized Tehran as a permanent member of the SCO, which was praised and applauded by the organization's member states and attendees.

In September 2021, SCO members agreed to fully grant Iran membership to the organization, with Raisi lauding the move, explaining that his country can be a link to Eurasia, through a pathway tying the north to the south.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an economic, political, and security alliance comprising China, Iran, India, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. SCO Observer countries include Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia, with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka holding a dialogue partner status.

Raisi arrived in Charavimaq County on the second of his visit to East Azarbaijan Province on Friday.

No enemy can divide the peoples of Iran and Azerbaijan, Raisi told a large gathering of the people of the small town of Charavimaq.

Tehran is trying to bridge the gap between the development level of big and small cities, as well as between developed and underdeveloped remote areas.

According to Raisi, the Azari people in Iran and those in Azerbaijan have a lot in common and share many cultural aspects that would never allow the enemy to divide them.

"By no means, one (enemies) can make a division between these people and those people. The affiliation of these people to Islam and their faith in Islam makes them undividable. These people love religion and love values from the bottom of their hearts," he added.

"I would like to say that the message of the people of Azerbaijan is that they support unity and integrity. It is a message of standing against the enemies and building the country with the capable hands of over beloved young people," he underscored.

Moreover, during his visit to Tabriz in East Azarbaijan province, he inaugurated the 44km Bostanabad-Tabriz railway, which cuts travel time between Tehran and the city to 4 hours from the previous 12 hours.

The newly operational section is the second phase of the Miyaneh-Bostanabad-Tabriz railway mega project, a rail transit that connects Iran to Europe for the first time.

The network links Iran to Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan, Yerevan, and Tbilisi railways through Jolfa and aims to increase trade volume between the Islamic Republic and Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey.

Trading through land routes, especially using railway networks, has been exponentially growing in recent years. Countries in Asia are particularly heavily investing in transit projects with aims to reduce trade costs, shorten the time, and in many cases, circumvent Western hegemony and sanctions.