TEHRAN- Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Nurlan Yermekbayev arrived in Tehran on Friday night to participate in the Tehran Dialogue Forum (TDF), and hold bilateral meetings with Iranian officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araqchi, Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi, and Chairman of Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Ebrahim Azizi.

The three-day visit of the SCO secretary-general was aimed at expanding cooperation in the economic, political, and security fields.

During the official’s stay in Iran, the Tehran Times conducted an exclusive interview with him, which comes as follows.

What benefits and advantages does Iran gain from joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as a full member?

Over 24 years since its establishment, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has evolved into the largest trans-regional association and a key actor in the system of international interaction, making a substantial contribution to regional security, sustainable growth, and the development of business, cultural and humanitarian ties across Eurasia.

In this context, participation in SCO activities— in various formats—offers external partners additional opportunities; and it is no coincidence that global interest to the Organisation continues to be on the rise.

Since acceding to the SCO in 2023 as a member state, Iran has taken a proactive stance in the Organisation’s activities. This engagement not only strengthens the SCO’s achievements but also opens new horizons for Tehran to accelerate development and enhance prosperity.

Against the backdrop of escalating crises in various parts of the globe, rising international confrontation and multiplying conflicts, the SCO - with Iran’s involvement—pursues its efforts to preserve peace and security.

Responding to the growing number of terrorist and other unlawful acts, including within the Organisation’s area of responsibility, we adhere to a policy of zero tolerance toward such manifestations and wage an uncompromising fight against threats and challenges, together with all member states, Iran included, in the interest of regional security and stability.

We note that a range of political events is unfolding in Central Asia, around Iran and in West Asia; the SCO, acting on the basis of its Charter and with respect to the UN Charter, responds as promptly as possible—for example, by issuing statements—and, in the spirit of the “SCO community,” extends support to its member states, including our Iranian partners.

Economically, Iran’s accession to the SCO evidently expands the country’s development potential. Iran plays a strategic role as a transit hub through which the key international transport corridors—such as North–South and East–West—are functioning, helping to optimise transport and logistics schemes, simplify customs administration and stimulate trade and economic interaction within the SCO.

Given Iran’s substantial hydrocarbon deposits, the country is well placed to play an active role in developing energy cooperation within the SCO and in international projects conducted under its auspices. Membership also broadens access for other Iranian goods to new markets.

To summarize it, the SCO and the Islamic Republic of Iran, as an integral part of the Organisation enjoy tangible mutual dividends. The Secretariat provides comprehensive support to the Iranian side in implementing its initiatives and tapping the potential of multilateral cooperation.

What prospects does Iran’s membership open up for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

As an important regional power with significant economic potential, ancient history and a rich cultural legacy, Iran unquestionably makes a substantial contribution to the SCO’s capacity to strengthen peace, security and stability across Eurasia, deepen cooperation in a wide array of practical fields, and enhance mutual understanding and good-neighbourliness among our peoples.

As was noted above, Iran’s transit potential can be utilized to broaden access to global markets. Its membership gives SCO states—especially land-locked ones—additional options for reaching international maritime shipping routes.

Rapid expansion of Iran’s industrial sector underpins the growth of trade with SCO members, including the Central Asian countries, Russia, Belarus, India, and Pakistan. It is worth noting that the overwhelming share of Iran’s inward foreign direct investment comes from countries of the Organisation.

Iran can also share its know-how and export goods and services to SCO states—consulting, engineering, construction, the operation and maintenance of extraction and processing facilities, as well as power transmission networks and grids.

The same applies to the agro-industrial complex: Iran’s entry into the SCO will help unlock the existing potential to mutually increase supplies of agricultural products and foodstuffs and to spread agroinnovation.

SCO members are striving to expand the use of national currencies in mutual financial settlements, envisaging this as an important factor in developing trade and investment cooperation. The relevant SCO Roadmap is currently being implemented. Iran’s experience in this sphere—including gained within the Asian Clearing Union—can be highly valuable.

In recent years, the SCO has focused on encouraging industrial links. A Programme to Stimulate Industrial Cooperation among the business communities of the member states has been adopted, and the possibility of organizing an annual SCO International Industrial Exhibition (“SCO EXPO”) is under discussion. We do note Iran’s interest in working together on this track.

Iran also possesses considerable capacities in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, expert training, and epidemiological monitoring.

Persian civilization has left a unique footprint in human history, contributing to art, literature, architecture, and philosophy. Iran’s participation makes the SCO’s humanitarian agenda even more multifaceted, and we expect the country to play an ever more active role in fostering cultural exchanges among member states.

Iran’s expertise may help deepen scientific, technological,l and innovation cooperation within the SCO. This involves multilateral interaction to create new start-up ecosystems, technoparks, innovation clusters and venture-capital funds, among others. Particular attention is currently being focused on artificial intelligence. Within the Organisation, we are discussing opportunities for joint R&D projects in this field and for establishing the requisite digital infrastructure in the region.

We therefore view the prospects for Iran’s participation in the SCO with optimism and are pleased to see the country’s increasingly energetic involvement in the Organisation’s activities.

What role can Iran, as an SCO member state, play in countering the unilateralist policies that prevail in today’s world?

The countries of the “SCO community,” Iran included, are committed to turning the Eurasian region into a peaceful, prosperous, and harmonious space. To achieve this goal, we seek common ground that respects existing political, economic, and cultural realities, strive for mutual understanding, and work toward consensus-based decisions. Such unity of purpose is especially crucial today, amid profound political shifts and economic shocks worldwide.

The SCO Charter states that one of the Organization’s principal objectives is cooperation in preventing international conflicts and resolving them by peaceful means. At the 2024 Astana Summit, the heads of the member states adopted the Initiative “On Global Unity for a Just World, Harmony and Development,” which stresses that the SCO does not support any actions hostile to other states or regions and calls for rejecting policies of confrontation, mutual threats, blackmail, interference in internal affairs, and the use of illegal military-political, economic or ideological pressure.

To mentoring, dictating, imposing sanctions, unlawful unilateral restrictive measures, and confrontational ideologies, we contrapose and advocate for the “Shanghai Spirit”: multilateral, non-bloc, depoliticized and non-ideological approach. Iran is fully committed to these principles.