The Shanghai Cooperation Organization can transform itself into an influential regional institution by fostering solidarity among the four developing powers in Asia.

Leaders of the SCO’s six members, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are to meet in Shanghai today to discuss oil, terrorism, and border controls.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is also attending the summit as an observer.

Current developments in the international arena have made it essential for countries to resist global threats through cooperation, and regional organizations like the SCO can play a significant role in this regard.

The SCO was founded in 1996 when the leaders of Russia, China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan signed a treaty in Shanghai for “deepening military trust in the region’s borders” establishing an institution known as the Shanghai Five.

With the accession of Uzbekistan in 2001, the group changed its name to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Adapting to regional developments over the next decade, the SCO gradually extended its goals from the initial security issues to the economic sphere.

Mongolia was accepted as an observer in 2004, followed by Pakistan, India, and Iran a year later. Belarus is also seeking to join the group as an observer.

The SCO is becoming an important regional organization, and its previous statements show that members are all in consensus on rejecting the Western model and standards in the region.

Many analysts regard the SCO as a new power that will also strengthen the position of Russia against the Western bloc.

Iran’s foreign policy over the past 27 years has been based on first cooperating with neighboring states and then extending ties with countries throughout the world.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is located between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, two energy-rich regions.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Iran became much more important geopolitically in Southwest Asia and gained influence in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus regions.

In the late 1990s, upon the proposal of former Russian prime minister Yevgeny Primakov, the three main powers of Asia, Russia, China, and India, started to expand security, political, and later economic ties.

In the current structure of the SCO, Russia and China work together in regard to border control and commercial exchanges, while India has established great technological and economic ties with both states.

Yet, India is not a full member of the SCO.

However, by joining Russia and China, Iran and India can form a powerful square in Asia.

Full SCO membership would give the Islamic Republic of Iran the opportunity to take another step in regional cooperation, following its experience in the ten–member Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

Iran’s accession to the SCO could neutralize Western attempts to isolate the country.

In view of the competition among the United States, China, and Russia, Iran’s membership in the SCO could help create a stronger coalition in Asia against U.S. unilateralism.

India, China, Iran, and Russia can make the SCO an integrated economic bloc able to rival other powerful economic poles.

The SCO has a bright future and Iran’s accession as a full member would help it reach its political and economic goals more quickly.