Saudi Arabia approves status as Shanghai Cooperation Organization dialogue partner

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that grants the Kingdom the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defense organization. It includes India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan, with Iran set to join soon.

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The approval came during a Saudi Cabinet session headed by the King at the al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, according to SPA.

During the session, King Salman also authorized the launch of technical and vocational training between the Kingdom and China.

The Saudi leader also condemned the burning of the holy Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Denmark that took place last Friday, stressing the need to consolidate the values of dialogue, tolerance, and respect.

Saudi Arabia and China have made significant efforts to develop relations between the two countries.

On Tuesday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman thanked China for the role it played in facilitating “good neighborly relations” between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

On March 10, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties through a Chinese mediation after the two nations severed ties in 2016.

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