Egypt Officially Joins the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Egypt and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) signed a memorandum of understanding on Egypt’s accession to the organization as a dialogue partner, on September 14, 2022.

The signing ceremony took place in the capital of Uzbekistan, the city of Tashkent.

Ambassador Hamdi Sanad Loza, Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs, signed the memorandum of understanding on behalf of Egypt and Zhang Ming, Secretary General of the organization, on behalf of the SCO.

Egypt's accession to the OIC as a dialogue partner is an important step towards strengthening its relations with the OIC countries in several fields, such as trade, investment, energy, transportation, and tourism, as well as supporting regional security and stability.

The Secretary General of the Shanghai Organization welcomed Egypt's accession to the Organization as a dialogue partner, expressing the organization's aspiration for fruitful cooperation in the next stage.

Egypt's accession reflects several elements related to Egypt's pivotal role in the Middle East and beyond as an important central state that performs its role in maintaining regional and international peace and stability.

It also gives specific indications regarding Egyptian openness to the world through a new approach and ways for new circles of Egyptian foreign policy during the era of President El-Sisi, who skillfully succeeded through summit diplomacy and presidential choices to confirm the Egyptian presence in new areas of influence and foundations of Egyptian foreign policy within the framework of an equation based on balance and equality and movement in multiple ranges to achieve the supreme Egyptian interests, in accordance with the Egyptian national security strategy in moving in the Central Asian republics and in the various Asian scopes.

There is no doubt that Egypt's accession to the organization confirms the centrality of the extended Egyptian movement and gives Egypt a great opportunity to present promising opportunities in the fields of foreign investment and attract them, especially since Egypt has a good investment law that can grant the countries of the organization investment and joint action to achieve major interests and benefits.

Truth is Egypt has succeeded in confirming its regional and international presence in specialized regional organizations, which prompted Egypt's admission to the organization and achieves the desired paths and tasks of the organization as well as includes countries that have political weight in international gatherings and that will be reflected in the Egyptian move to play a prominent and important role in the organization in the coming period.

This step will support the large Egyptian presence in the member states that deal with Egypt based on its main role in the region and its leading and pioneering role in the international system thanks to the great success achieved by the Egyptian information services in the paths of their external movement and through a tight and disciplined presidential diplomatic activity.

Egypt's accession to the Shanghai Organization confirms the important role that Egypt has in controlling the balance of the economic and investment movement in partnership with the countries of the organization that realize the proportion of the great achievements that Egypt has achieved.

Certainly, the diplomacy of President El-Sisi and the movements of the institutions and organs of the state concerned will succeed in presenting Egypt as a modern state under the new republic to the world, not only in the Shanghai Organization but also in all other economic groupings that Egypt plans to join in the coming period.

Russian President welcomes Egypt to SCO

On September 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed granting the UAE, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Organization.

He said that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is today the largest regional organization in the world and is working to increase its role in solving international and regional problems.

Putin added, more than half of the world's population lives in countries of its member, about a quarter of GDP is created, and strong intellectual and technological potential and a large part of the world's natural resources are concentrated in its countries.