On 29th July, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Vladimir Norov, declared that Iran is expected to sign the document needed for its full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the organization’s next summit.
It has been announced that the next summit of the organization will be held in Samarkand from 15 to 16 September and 28 documents will be approved. Iran must accept these documents for full membership in this organization. These documents include the draft Samarkand statement, a comprehensive plan for the implementation of the Good Neighbor Agreement, friendship and long-term cooperation, the theory of cooperation for the development of interconnection and the creation of effective transportation corridors, the program of encouraging industrial cooperation, and the regulations for the honorary title of “Goodwill Ambassador of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.”
On 12th July, Norov also stated that in the current year and during the presidency of Uzbekistan in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Iran, which has been an observer member until now, will be admitted as a new member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian showed great hope that Iran would become a full member of the SCO in September.
Since its inception in 2001, the SCO has mainly focused on regional security issues, and its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism, and religious extremism. The SCO's priorities also include regional development. The SCO has been an observer in the UN General Assembly since 2005.
China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan are the current full members of the SCO. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia are also observer countries.
On 19th of July, the President of Russia traveled to Tehran to participate in a trilateral meeting with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts in the framework of the Astana negotiations for a diplomatic solution to the Syrian issues.
During this trip, he had several meetings with the officials of Iran. Putin's visit to Tehran shows that Iran and Russia are moving closer to each other. The two country’s background also confirms their potential for improving their mutual ties.
Iran and Russia have a history of extensive and significant interactions in various fields such as nuclear energy and defense weapons. Moscow's cooperation in launching and activating the Bushehr nuclear power plant in different phases a very important example of Russia’s cooperation with Iran.
The two countries also expressed interest in expanding their banking and commercial relations, with a special focus on eliminating
dollars from their mutual trade and establishing an alternative to the SWIFT inter-bank payment system.
Apart from the Syrian issue, the presidents of the three countries emphasized their intention to strengthen tripartite coordination in various fields in order to increase joint political and economic cooperation.
On 13th of July, special branches for knowledge-based companies officially started their work in Tehran courts in light of Article 9 of the Knowledge-Based Production Leap Law.
Ali Al-Qasi Mehr, chief of the ministry of justice, during the opening event of such branches, stated that in order to deal with legal cases of knowledge-based companies, three branches have been established in Tehran.
Reportedly, the judicial system receives considerable benefits from special courts. Both lawyers and judges can focus solely on their legal specialties which makes cases more efficient. Special courts relieve pressure on general courts by removing cases that may be especially time-consuming and require expertise. Expert judges have a greater understanding and knowledge of issues and are better able to offer fair rulings based on the facts.
Al-Qasi Mehr continued “Knowledge-based and creative companies are the best option to save the country from economic and political sanctions and will save the country from dependencies.”
