Iran signed 25 cooperation agreements and held talks with senior officials from Russia and Pakistan at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting on Friday as Tehran seeks to deepen ties with the bloc amid its ongoing conflict with the US.
What happened: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other foreign ministers of SCO member states met in the Kyrgyzstan resort town of Cholpon-Ata for a summit on Friday. The officials signed 25 cooperation agreements at the conclusion of the meeting, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency reported, though it was not immediately clear what the deals covered.
The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said the meeting focused on ensuring security throughout the Eurasian bloc, economic and trade cooperation, transportation connectivity, energy, the digital transformation and cultural and humanitarian ties. The ministry added that “progress” was made toward establishing an SCO development bank that would support joint investment, infrastructure and transportation and logistics projects.
Araghchi held talks with a number of his counterparts, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The two discussed bilateral relations and international issues, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. The Russian Foreign Ministry said they reviewed tensions in the Gulf and that Lavrov "emphasized the importance of the swift conclusion of sustainable agreements on a cessation of hostilities."
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