Iran sets two-year plan to boost trade, transport and AI ties within SCO: Veep
Iran has drawn up a two-year action plan to expand its economic, trade, transport and advanced technology cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said ahead of a trip to Tajikistan for a meeting of the bloc’s prime ministers.
The plan aims to make greater use of the organization’s potential across various sectors, with logistics, transport infrastructure, advanced technologies and artificial intelligence among Tehran’s priorities, Aref said, according to IRNA.
Iran’s strategy is to maintain an active and effective presence in the organization while leveraging its domestic capabilities, he added.
Aref arrived in Dushanbe on Monday to attend the meeting of prime ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states, where he was welcomed by Hokim KHOLIQZODA, First Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan.
Aref also said he planned to hold bilateral meetings with prime ministers attending the summit, expressing hope that the talks would strengthen bilateral ties and broaden cooperation.
Aref said Iran would present its position at the summit on countering unilateralism and reforming global governance. He noted that while the SCO had initially focused on security, it had gradually expanded its economic cooperation, whereas BRICS, a grouping of major emerging economies, had emphasized global governance reform and opposition to unilateralism from its inception.
The annual meeting of SCO prime ministers is intended to assess member states’ performance and examine ways to deepen cooperation. This year’s agenda focuses on the effectiveness of trade and economic cooperation and humanitarian initiatives, with the outcomes to be set out in several documents and declarations, Aref said.
Budgetary issues will also be discussed and considered for approval, as the meeting brings together the member states’ top executive officials, he added.
Founded in 2001, the SCO now has 10 full members: China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Belarus and Iran.