TEHRAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has expressed his heartfelt condolences over the recent martyrdom of the Iranian President and Foreign Minister.

The Council of National Coordinators (CNC) of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) convened in Kazakhstan's capital to deliberate on the forthcoming SCO Foreign Ministers’ Council meeting. 

During the opening session, in light of the tragic deaths of the Iranian president and foreign minister, Tokayev extended his sympathy and condolences to the Iranian nation. 

Mehdi Safari, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Coordination on Economic Diplomacy, attended the meeting in place of the late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. 

Tokayev underscored the significance of the CNC meeting as a crucial forum within the SCO for addressing pressing issues on a comprehensive agenda.

Despite the difficult period, Iranian representatives participated actively in the discussions, Tokayev noted. 

The meeting aims to facilitate an exchange of views on international and regional matters, security concerns, and the enhancement of political, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation within the SCO framework. 

Kazakhstan is steering the SCO from July 2023. 

Tokayev highlighted that the SCO now includes ten Eurasian countries, representing nearly half of the global population, a quarter of the world's GDP, and 15% of global trade. As the current chair, Kazakhstan is committed to bolstering the organization’s capabilities.

Addressing cyber security, Tokayev stressed the importance of early identification of cyber threats and developing mechanisms to ensure the stability of the information infrastructure among SCO member states.

The official inclusion of the Islamic Republic of Iran into the SCO was declared on July 4, 2023, through the efforts of the late President Raisi and the late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. 

Iran's membership was initially agreed upon during President Raisi's visit to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on September 17, 2021, and later ratified by the Iranian parliament on November 27, 2022. The formal announcement of Iran's membership occurred during a virtual summit of SCO heads of state on July 4, 2023.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an intergovernmental entity formed in 1996 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, aims to foster multilateral security, economic, and political cooperation. Established to counterbalance U.S. and NATO influence in the region, the SCO expanded with Uzbekistan's inclusion shortly after its founding, adopting its current name.