SCO Condemns Strikes on Iran and Calls for De-escalation
Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in the final Bishkek Declaration, condemned military strikes on Iranian territory as a violation of international law. Summit participants also reaffirmed their support for Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation through political and diplomatic means.
According to the South China Morning Post, the SCO summit in Bishkek took place amid the resumption of US strikes on Iran following a several-week pause in hostilities. US forces struck new targets in Iran, citing Iranian military threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to US facilities in the region.
Pezeshkian’s meetings
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit with the president of the aggressor state Russia, Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trip was only the Iranian president’s second foreign visit since the start of joint US-Israeli strikes in late February.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech at the summit that the world continues to be haunted by the “shadow of war” and called for preventing external forces from undermining regional stability. At a separate meeting with SCO partners, he also urged major powers to uphold the rule of law.
Support without military guarantees
The SCO declaration also condemned attacks or threats of attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities, stressing that such actions pose a threat to international peace and stability. The participating countries said that each state bears full responsibility for its own nuclear security.
Ian Hall, a professor of international relations at Griffith University, said that Iran had gained significant diplomatic support at the summit. At the same time, he cautioned that SCO statements are unlikely to mean greater material assistance for Tehran. Experts also noted that the SCO and BRICS are not military alliances and that the level of support for Iran varies among their members.
