SCO to Account for Almost 30% of Global GDP With Iran's Accession - Deputy Chief

BEIJING (Sputnik) - The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will include countries with a total population of almost 86 million people and account for almost 30% of the global GDP with Iran’s accession, SCO Deputy Secretary-General Grigory Logvinov told Sputnik.

Tehran shows significant interest in joint projects of the SCO countries in the field of transport, telecommunications, IT, pharmacology and agriculture, according to Logvinov.

"With the admission of Iran, the total number of the ‘SCO family’ will increase by almost 86 million people and the total global GDP is expected to reach almost 30%. This in itself clearly illustrates the effect of Iran's accession to the SCO," the official said.

Logvinov emphasized that since 2005, Tehran has participated in the SCO’s activities as an observer state, regularly attended meetings and maintained regular contacts with the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the organization.

The SCO Deputy Secretary-General noted that "Iran is a respected and influential member of the international community, playing an important role in regional affairs."

Logvinov specified that Iran is currently not under UN sanctions since Tehran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015, which required it to scale back its nuclear program and drastically reduce its uranium reserves.

The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan. In September 2021, the SCO launched the procedure for admitting Iran to the organization.