Shanghai Cooperation Organization: An opportunity to bolster Eurasian Convergence.

In today's world, the East and West have lost their traditional implications and, in a way, have been replaced by regionalism or even continentalism. Hegemonic control and unilateralism are waning and the international community's transition towards a multipolar world and the redistribution of power in favor of independent countries are becoming inevitable trends. In such a situation, maintaining peace and strengthening stability in our continent, Asia, is not only a choice but a necessity. In fact, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) could be considered one of the most successful examples of regional alliances. This organization is formed by a group of like-minded countries that seek to maintain order and the new Asian identity without interference from extra-regional powers. As the world's largest regional organization, the SCO plays an outstanding role in covering more than 40 percent of the world's population and generating about 25 percent of the global GDP. The total value of economic transactions among the SCO Member States is around 20 trillion dollars, which has increased 13 times compared to the period it was first established.

Since the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes dialogue, negotiation, and diplomacy and rejects unilateral approaches in its relations with other countries in view of compliance with the basic principles of international law such as mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, Tehran prioritized, as an important foreign policy objective, joining the SCO. This was realized in the first year of the presidency of Dr. Raisi when Iran became a full member of the SCO. In this respect, approval of Iran's membership to the SCO during President Raisi's visit to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, by SCO Heads of State Council in September 2021, was a diplomatic triumph that proves our dedication to pursuing a "balanced, smart, active and dynamic" foreign policy approach and the idea of "Asian multilateralism". This achievement also marks a milestone in the development of our cooperation with the SCO Member States in all bilateral, regional and international dimensions. It is time for the SCO Member States to furnish a promising future for the region's nations by taking advantage of the huge capacity and opportunities of multilateral cooperation.

These capabilities could strengthen and fortify the organization and its members against political, security, economic, commercial, and cultural challenges...