Saudi Arabia became part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Saudi Arabia’s long-term partnership with China has begun and the Saudi cabinet has approved the decision to become part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

According to the Reuters news agency, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Saudi Arabia has signed a memorandum in which it is given the status of a negotiating partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a political and security alliance of European and Asian countries including China, Russia, India and Pakistan.

It was established in 2001 by Russia, China and former Soviet Union countries in Central Asia and later expanded to include Pakistan and India to counter the growing influence of Western powers in the region. can be done

Last year, Iran also became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Sources told Reuters that during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia in December, officials from the two countries held consultations regarding becoming part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Giving Saudi Arabia the status of a negotiating partner is the first step towards full membership, and after some time they will also be granted full membership.

The decision comes as Saudi Aramco announced a multibillion-dollar investment in China through a joint venture and acquisition of shares in a privately-controlled petrochemical group.

Saudi Arabia’s growing ties with China have been expressed by its old ally, the United States, as security concerns, but the United States says that despite China’s efforts to gain influence around the world, in the Middle East. There will be no change in US policy.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab states expressed concern over the withdrawal of the United States, the largest security guarantor in the region, and were forced to look for other partners.

Despite all these ups and downs, the US insists that it will remain a dynamic partner in the region.

Countries belonging to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are planning to hold joint counter-terrorism exercises in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia this year.