News - Middle East: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran has placed a premium on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), saying it can play a vital role in strengthening multilateralism and safeguarding the security and political interests of member states.

Araghchi, who is on an official visit to China, made the remarks in a meeting with the SCO's new Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev in Beijing on Saturday.

“The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, due to the membership of a group of important and influential countries in regional and international developments, including two permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and several important regional players, can play an influential and growing role in promoting multilateralism and strengthening cooperation between member states in various security, political and economic fields.”

Yermekbayev, for his part, described Iran’s capacities to further strengthen the organization’s position and role as very important.

He also welcomed the initiatives put forward by the Islamic Republic to expand and promote the organization’s activities in the economic, banking, and trade fields.

The SCO, which has its headquarters in China, is the world's largest regional organization in terms of area and population.

It has nine member states, namely, Iran, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

In July 2023, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization officially approved Iran's full-fledged membership in the organization.

The SCO is one of the world’s largest regional organizations, accounting for around one-third of the global Gross domestic product (GDP), roughly 40 percent of the world’s population, and nearly two-thirds of the entire Eurasian landmass.

Press TV