On July 4, Independence Day of the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran becomes a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
DUSHANBE, July 1 - Sangar, source: Sputnik Tajikistan. Experts also link this incident to the visit of US Congress Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who, against China's consent, arrived in Taiwan in August last year.
Abdulghani Mahmadazimov, a senior expert on regional affairs, told Sputnik Tajikistan that Iran's admission to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on July 4 is not accidental, but an "unexpected surprise" by Russia and China for their strategic rival, the United States.
“Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which took place despite China's disagreement, was a way to discredit this eastern power in front of the world community. Apparently, Iran's entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on the Independence Day of the United States to some extent compensates for this image damage," the expert said.
He added that the admission of Iran to the SCO is an important reason for changing geopolitical combinations in the region and the world, and strengthens the position of Russia and China in their competition with the US and NATO.
“In the recent past, Moscow and Beijing were cautious about admitting Iran to the SCO, but since their competition and confrontation with Washington have intensified, this process has accelerated, and now Iran should become a full member of this organization,” the expert said.
In the early 2000s, Iran took the first steps towards becoming a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and in 2005, together with India and Pakistan, it received observer status. India and Pakistan were accepted as members of the organization on June 9, 2017, but only on September 17, 2021, the process of admitting Iran to the SCO began, and in September 2022, a memorandum of acceptance was signed.
According to Abdulgani Makhmadazimov, the admission of Iran to the SCO shook the countries of the Arab world, and at the moment they are standing in line at the doors of the organization, which means that the geography of the SCO is expanding from north to south of Eurasia.
“At the initiative of China, there was a great reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, two leaders of the Islamic world who had been at enmity for if not centuries, then years, and paved the way for Saudi membership, which now has the status of a dialogue partner in the organization. Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, considered traditional US partners, have now applied to become dialogue partners. Even Turkey, which is a member of NATO, has acquired the status of a dialogue partner in the SCO," the expert said.
According to him, this is all the evidence that the world is really following the path of multipolarity, and the Eurasian countries are leaving the sinking ship of the United States.
“Although they say that the SCO is not a military bloc, like NATO, and is directed only against the “three evils” — terrorism, separatism, extremism — and drug trafficking, the escalation of the confrontation between the US and NATO with Russia in Ukraine and with China in Taiwan, as well as the admission of Iran, their tough rival in the Islamic world, to the ranks of the organization shows that there is a high probability of a change in the priorities of the organization,” said Abdulghani Mahmadazimov.
He added that with Iran's membership in the SCO, the plan of President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahman to create a "security belt" around Afghanistan, which he proposed at one of the meetings of the heads of the CSTO in 2022, also shows its reality.
“This means that peace and stability will eventually return to Afghanistan. But the problem of Pakistan remains, which, although a member of the SCO, is also to some extent influenced by the US and Britain. Pakistan, which is facing serious economic and security problems, can only be saved by the SCO. The US and the West cannot solve the problem of Pakistan,” said Abdulgani Mahmadazimov.
The expert says that Pakistan's exit from the influence of the US and Britain will be the end of their centuries-old presence in the region and the beginning of a new era on the Eurasian continent.
“When Pakistan ceases to be the “center of evil”, and Afghanistan is completely surrounded by the SCO, these countries will be interested in a safe and developed neighbor in the face of Afghanistan,” said Abdulgani Mahmadazimov.
The 23rd SCO Heads of State Summit will take place on 4 July 2023 virtually and for the first time under the chairmanship of India.
Earlier Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the meeting would recognize Iran's full membership and sign a memorandum on Belarus' accession to the SCO.
