TEHRAN- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit will focus significantly on Iran’s full membership, a senior Russian official has said.

The comments were made on Saturday on the heels of the 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) by Bakhtiyer Khakimov, Russia’s presidential envoy for SCO affairs.

“Iran’s accession as a full member will be one of the key decisions of the July 4 summit that will take place in New Delhi via video conference. Iran has completed the mandatory procedures and will join the family of SCO member states at the New Delhi summit,” he noted.

The SCO is an eight-member transcontinental political, economic, and security organization. Iran is the SCO observer country that is about to join the charter permanently.

Khakimov said that a memorandum outlining Belarus’ duties in order to become a SCO member state would also be signed at the forthcoming summit.

Earlier, the Indian Foreign Ministry announced that a meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State would take place online on July 4.

In addition to the SCO’s eight member states, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia have been invited to the event as observer states.

Amir Abdollahian had stated that the country’s complete membership in the SCO will be formalized in July during the bloc’s next summit.

The SCO was founded by China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan at a summit held in Shanghai in 2001.

Its current full members are China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Observer states include Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia.

Iran submitted its initial application to the alliance 15 years ago. At a session held in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe in September 2021, Iran’s candidacy was accepted.

The organization accounts for 40 percent of the world’s population and 28 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

China’s SCO National Coordinator, Zhang Haizhou, said in May that more and more countries are applying to join the SCO family.

For example, Zhang said, “Iran will become one of the member states this year.”

Speaking to media persons from countries member to the Shanghai Organization, Zhang welcomed journalists on behalf of the Department of European-Central Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

Zhang explained that the goals of the SCO are as follows: firstly, to step into a new stage with unity and mutual trust; secondly, to reach a new level of security cooperation; thirdly, to enter into a new stage of opening-up; fourthly, to make achievements in cultural and people-to-people exchanges; fifthly, to confirm the trend of democracy in a multi-polar world.

The organization adheres to the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, strengthens cooperation with observer states and dialogue partners, and builds close contact with other international and regional organizations. It holds an objective and fair standpoint on international and regional hot issues, setting a good example for new international relations based on mutual respect, justice, and win-win cooperation.

“Now, more and more countries are applying to be involved in the SCO family, among which Iran will become one of the members this year, and Belarus has started the procedure as well. All of this demonstrates that the SCO has taken root in the hearts of the people. The SCO makes greater contributions to promoting international order in the direction of more fairness and justice,” he said.

Last year, Iranian lawmakers passed a bill allowing Iran to become a full member of the SCO.

A majority of lawmakers -203 - voted yes to the bill while only three lawmakers voted no. Four lawmakers abstained from voting.

The passed bill allows the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to sign and accept dozens of SCO agreements and documents.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian hailed the passing of the bill. “Parliament’s decisive vote in favor of the bill of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is indicative of our country’s seriousness and determination to develop regional, international and economic cooperation and enhance the pivot to Asia,” the foreign minister said on Twitter.

He added, “Multilateral approach is the reality of this century.”