Iranian Parliament backs membership in SCO

The Iranian parliament voted on Sunday to back the Islamic Republic's entry to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), state news agency Fars reported.

Iran has been seeking to upgrade its observer status to full membership of the organization, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian signed a memorandum allowing the Islamic Republic of Iran to join the SCO during the summit held on the 15 and 16th of September. 

Iran will officially become a full member of the organization by signing its first memorandum of obligations by April 2023.

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

The SCO summit in Dushanbe last September began the procedure of Iran's accession as well as granting SCO partner status to Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

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