RUSSIA, China, India, and the rest of the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) welcomed Iran as its newest member.
Iran joined the regional bloc at the end of the 23rd summit of the SCO Council of Heads of States.
India hosted the summit via videoconference on Tuesday.
The Asian security grouping, founded by Russia and China to counter Western alliances, welcomed Iran as its ninth member.
In a speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the leaders of Russia, Iran, and other allied states to boost ties and resist Western sanctions.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Russian people are ‘united as never before’ during a meeting with the SCO leaders.
This was Putin’s first multilateral summit since a short-lived rebellion by the private military company Wagner Group sought to challenge his political leadership.
Observers interpret his presence as an eagerness on his part to show the West it has failed to isolate Moscow despite the barrage of economic sanctions slapped against the former Soviet state since the war with Ukraine.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the other hand said the benefits of being an SCO member will be historic.
The group emphasized forging closer ties and boost cooperation within the expanding Eurasian bloc but stressed the regional bloc is not against any other country.
