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Iran’s request to be admitted as a permanent member of SCO has not been accepted so far although it is near 15 years that the country is present in the Organization as an observer member.
China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan established Shanghai Five in 1996 which aimed to counter new security threats. The group developed to form SCO when Uzbekistan joined it in 2001.
In 2005, Iran, India, and Pakistan became observer members of the Organization. India and Pakistan were admitted as permanent members while Iran’s request has not been accepted yet due to different approaches of some member-states.
The organization covers a geographical area of near 60 million square kilometers with some three billion population.
Convergence vis-à-vis security threats, ranging from terrorist groups in the region to Western threats in the form of expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), was the core rationale behind forming SCO.
The Organization also aimed to remove trade obstacles and to battle unilateralism in the international arena.
It can be a rival for NATO to put an end to the unilateral policies of the West, particularly those pursued by the United States.
Iran has not been admitted as a permanent member of SCO while its special position in the Middle East region cannot be denied.
Iran also has a very special position in the world which joins east to the west and north to the south.
Iran’s membership in SCO will be a win-win game which will benefit Iran on the one hand and add to the power of the Organization on the other hand. It can be a reason why the Western powers oppose Iran’s membership in the Organization.
Translated By Ahmad Mohammadi
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