Iran foreign policy focus is max contact with regional states: Raisi

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Iran's foreign policy focus is on maximum connection and interaction with regional countries, including the SCO members, and efficient participation in regional and international arrangements, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in his speech at the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on Friday.

Iran considers important arrangements like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS grouping, which shows the country's interest in taking part in the aligned countries' efforts to establish a fair international system based on participation, President Raisi said, describing the SCO as Asia's symbol of "the great civilizational family," which can open new horizons of regional integration and security-ensuring cooperations based on justice, respect, and spirituality.

Raisi also emphasized deepening economic multilateralism as Iran’s strategy, saying that it has been seriously threatened by the US, which has put an extensive use of "coercion" on its agenda and uses bullying to force its demands and internal laws on other countries and the international system.

The SCO needs new approaches in fighting unilateralism and cruel sanctions, President Raisi said, such as the "formation of sustainable trade among the members of this Organisation, which itself requires the joint development of infrastructure in the field of financial exchanges, commodity exchanges and data exchange between countries."

He then urged SCO members to finance logistic and trade facilitating projects and stressed the important role of interbank transactions and the acceleration of free trade agreements and customs cooperation.

“In addition, the China-Central Asia-West Asia-Mediterranean Sea Corridor, which has high potential, is currently described as an important part of the solution for the development of trade between East and West Eurasia. With the cooperation of the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, it is possible to provide the necessary grounds for the implementation of this corridor and for the members to benefit from its advantages,” he added.

The Iranian President also voiced Tehran's readiness to host the SCO healthcare cooperation secretariat and invited the SCO health minister to attend the first SCO health meeting in December.

Raisi then highlighted foreign intervention's impacts on the Middle East and the US’ attempts to spread insecurity in Asia, urging a new security model in Asia based on "joint development and deepening of multilateralism without the interference of foreign powers."

"Pursuing NATO policies in any way poses a threat to different regions. The establishment of peace, stability, and security in the Caucasus region is very important for the Islamic Republic of Iran. We have always emphasized on respecting territorial integrity, and national sovereignty and rejecting any change in the recognized borders between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia. The parties should resolve their differences through dialogue and peacefully based on international law," Raisi noted.

The Iranian President concluded his meeting by stressing that Iran's participation in the SCO activities "will be recorded as one of the most important developments in the history of this Organisation" and expressed his country's sympathy with "the people and government of Pakistan regarding the recent flood in this country."

The Uzbekistan-held 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit which was held today, Friday, announced Iran's full accession to the organization's membership.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi attended the summit at the invitation of Mirziyoyev, and has been in Uzbekistan since Wednesday and signed memorandums of arrangements and commitments on Thursday.

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