Iranian President Raisi and Turkish President Erdogan Discuss Regional Developments

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan engaged in a discussion about regional developments yesterday evening in Samarkand, during the 22nd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). This information has been reported by the official website of the Iranian president.

Raisi emphasized that Iran is opposed to paternalism, stating, “The foundation of our policy in the region is that the destinies of countries should be determined by themselves, and their national sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected.”

According to him, Iran supports its friends and neighbors during crises, asserting that Iran is a friend to its neighbors. At the same time, Raisi expressed welcome for the “liberation of the territory of Artsakh.”

It is noteworthy that the SCO is an international organization founded in 2001. Members include India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. Observers are Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia, while partner countries include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka. In September 2021, during the SCO summit in Dushanbe, a procedure was also initiated to grant dialogue partner status to Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. This year, Belarus officially applied to join the SCO as a full member.