The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is set to officially recognise Iran as a member during the organisation’s virtual summit next week. This announcement was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, following a phone conversation between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming. The SCO is a diplomatic organisation with eight members, including China, Russia, India, and Pakistan. It has its headquarters in China, and its current members are seeking to increase their collective strength by extending its membership.

This has resulted in Belarus applying for SCO membership, and with the upcoming virtual summit, “the procedure” for this membership to go ahead is expected to begin. In addition to Belarus’ application, Iran’s bid for SCO membership has been accepted, and the country is now set to enjoy the rights of full member countries. This comes as Iran has intensified its diplomatic relations with both allies and foes alike in recent months, in an effort to reduce its isolation, improve its economy, and project strength. With this milestone, Iran is also hoping to be quickly accepted into another grouping that excludes Western countries—the BRICS group with Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. When speaking about the upcoming SCO summit, Lavrov said “At the meeting of heads of state on July 4th, the full membership of Iran will be approved.”

This was followed by Amir-Abdollahian’s statement, which expressed his confidence that “Iran’s membership will provide a novel and increasing capacity to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.” His optimism was echoed by SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming, who said that Iran’s membership would be officially announced at the upcoming meeting. He also added that “from July 4th, Iran will enjoy all the rights related to the member countries of the organisation.” The prospect of Iran joining the SCO as a full member is an exciting development for the organisation, and is expected to strengthen the relationships between its member countries. It is also a positive step for Iran, as the country continues to improve its standing in the international community.