Saudi Arabia will join as a “dialogue partner” state in the Chinese-Russian-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the official Saudi news agency reported on Wednesday.
The SCO, created in 2001 to promote political, economic and security cooperation and compete with Western institutions, includes China, India, Pakistan and Russia, as well as four Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan).
The Saudi government approved this decision at a meeting chaired by King Salman, the agency said, and will give the country “dialogue partner status within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization”, according to the same source. Egypt, Iran and Qatar are also countries with SCO observer or dialogue partner status.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to join the SCO comes less than three weeks after the announcement of a historic reconciliation deal with Iran concluded under China’s auspices and aimed at restoring full diplomatic relations severed seven years ago.
Man is suspected of killing girlfriend in macabre ritual with knives and swords