Iran and the Gulf States, as well as Turkiye, which is a member of NATO, are interested in working together more closely. The West looks at the encounter with mistrust.
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| [SCO Summit 2022] |
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, sometimes known as the SCO, has mostly been ignored in international politics up until this point. Since its creation 21 years ago, the group of eight nations, headed by Russia and China, has never made any decisions or taken any measures that might be considered game-changing.
Now, a summit gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) that is taking place in Uzbekistan is providing the venue for a new coalition against the West. Iran, the Gulf States, and Turkey, which is a member of NATO, all have an interest in joining the organization. This may have repercussions for Western nations as well as those in the Middle East.
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, will be making his first journey outside of China since the start of the corona epidemic two and a half years ago in order to attend the meeting that will take place in Samarkand on September 15 and 16. Vladimir Putin, who is in charge of the Kremlin, has shown interest in having a private conversation with Xi.
A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also planned to take place in Samarkand. The Istanbul Grain Agreement, which Moscow says would not aid African nations who are threatened by famine but instead benefit Western countries that are unfriendly to Russia, will be the topic of discussion at this meeting. Erdogan shares the same perspective, as seen by his recent statement that “Putin is correct.”
Turkey is a SCO cooperation partner, the Saudis want to follow suit
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) plans to make a final decision on the admission of Iran and launch the application procedure for Belarus while in Samarkand. Russia, China, India, and Pakistan together with the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan make up the current membership of the organization.
Erdogan, whose nation is already connected to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a so-called conversation partner, has indicated interest in Turkey joining the organization. According to rumors in the media, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are pushing for quick membership. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt also want to become new conversation partners in Samarkand.
The regional heavyweights from the Middle East that will be attending the conference in Samarkand are now at conflict with one another. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are now engaged in a proxy war in Yemen, while Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are Turkey’s adversaries in the crisis in Libya. One thing that all of these countries have in common, however, is that when it comes to economic and diplomatic policy, they are seeking for alternatives to the West.
Iran is looking for a way out of isolation
Iran hopes that being a member of the SCO would allow it to emerge from its current international isolation and boost its economy. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) includes countries that are home to 40 percent of the world’s population and produce 30 percent of its GDP.
Turkey, whose economy is also in trouble, is seeking for new markets to help it recover. The Arab states of the Gulf no longer want to depend on the United States of America, sell a significant amount of oil to China, and collaborate with Russia in the oil cartel known as Opec-Plus.
The issue at hand for Russia is how to mitigate the effects of international sanctions brought on by the conflict in Ukraine. A few days ago, Putin said that he believes there are fresh chances in the Middle East and specifically in Iran. It is anticipated that investments in Turkey, as well as a rail connection via Iran to the Persian Gulf, would be beneficial to Russia’s international commerce.
The first findings have already been obtained. According to Moscow’s estimates, the volume of commerce that took place between Russia and Iran in the first half of this year increased by forty percent. The economic ties that link Turkey and Russia are climbing to even greater heights.
According to the numbers provided by the Turkish Exporters Association TIM, Turkish shipments to Russia surged by about 90 percent in August in comparison to the same month in the previous year. This was despite the imposition of sanctions.
Shanghai Group is politically at Putin’s side
Putin is able to depend on the new SCO allies in the Ukraine conflict from a political standpoint as well. Iran agrees with Russia’s position that it was necessary for Russia to launch a strike on its neighbor in order to deter Western invasion.
In addition to avoiding criticism of Russia, the Arab states of the Gulf region are unmoved by Western calls for them to expand oil production as a means of containing price hikes brought on by the conflict in Ukraine.
Turkey, a member of NATO, has condemned the strike that was carried out by Russia but does not support the imposition of sanctions on Russia. Instead, Turkey places the burden for the escalation on Europe and the United States. The actions of Erdogan are contributing to an increase in skepticism over Turkey’s dependability in both Europe and the United States. To this far, Erdogan has not been swayed by anything. In Samarkand, he intends to go farther and go deeper with his partnership with Putin.