Iran joins Asian security body

Bloc led by China and Russia endorses Iran's future membership

FE Team | Published: September 17, 2021 21:52:37

TEHRAN, Sept 17 (Agencies): Iran joined a rapidly expanding central Asian security body led by Russia and China on Friday, calling on the countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to help it form a mechanism to avert sanctions imposed by the West.
The body, formed in the 2001 as a talking shop for Russia, China and ex-Soviet states in Central Asia, expanded four years ago to include India and Pakistan, with a view to playing a bigger role as counterweight to Western influence in the region.
In a sign of its growing influence, the body's summit in Tajikistan was the first appearance abroad of Iran's new hardline president, Ebrahimi Raisi, since taking office in August.
Raisi hailed the opportunity that membership would provide for Iran, as a country along China's "Belt and Road" route, to join important trade links across Eurasia. Iranian television described Iran's membership as giving it access to huge markets across the continent.
In his speech to members, Raisi compared sanctions on Iran to terrorism, and said the organisation should design a mechanism that helps Tehran avert them.
Russia and China, along with Western countries, are parties of a 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers under which Tehran agreed to curbs on its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions.
Washington abandoned that deal in 2018 and unilaterally reimposed financial sanctions. Negotiations this year to revive it have been stalled since Raisi's election.
"Nothing can stop Iran's peaceful nuclear activities that are within the framework of international regulations," Raisi said. "Diplomacy is only effective when all parties adhere to it. Threats and pressure tie diplomacy's hands and render it ineffective."
Meanwhile, members of the China and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Friday endorsed Iran's future membership of the bloc that already includes South Asian rivals India and Pakistan.
The move comes as Moscow and Beijing have moved to assert themselves as key players in the region, after the United States' hasty retreat from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country.
"Today we will launch procedures to admit Iran as a member of the SCO," said Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking via video link from China in comments translated into English.
The organisation, which seeks to combat ethnic separatism, religious extremism and terrorism in Central Asia, is holding a summit in Tajikistan this week.
Iran's membership was welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who were attending the summit virtually, and Pakistani premier Imran Khan, who was at the summit in person.
Speaking in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi thanked the SCO's eight members for supporting its bid.
"Please accept my appreciation. May God's peace and blessings be upon you," Raisi said, according to an audio translation provided at the summit.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said joining the bloc would have an "important impact" on Tehran's cooperation with the countries.
SCO leaders did not announce a timeline for bloc observer Iran's membership.
Tehran applied for full SCO membership in 2008 but its bid was slowed by the sanctions imposed on the country by the United Nations and the United States over its nuclear programme.