Iran on July 4 became the new permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at an India-hosted virtual summit of the grouping.
Key points
- Prior to Iran’s joining, the SCO consisted of eight member countries: China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and the four Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the people of Iran on the country becoming a full member of the influential grouping. India hosted the summit in its capacity as the grouping’s current chair.
- The summit, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was joined by Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders of the grouping.
- The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.
