Iran joins the China-Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization, aiming for unity with the U.S. and Europe.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, led by China and Russia, was held in online format on April 4. Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the international conference for the first time since the uprising by Evgeny Prigogine, founder of the Russian private military company Wagner, and worked with China to unite the SCO as a counterweight to the United States and Europe. Iran became the ninth country to officially join the SCO and is on the path of expansion.

At the conference, Putin said that "the Russian people are more united than ever before, and the whole society has stood up to the attempted revolt," appealing to the fact that the revolt has rather strengthened the regime's base.

He also thanked the SCO leaders "for their support for the actions of the Russian leadership in defending the constitutional order and the security of the people," and touted the Putin administration's response to the insurgency as having broad-based support.

In their opposition to the U.S. and Europe, China and Russia kept pace. Chinese President Xi Jinping said, "Foreign policy should be formulated independently and independently. We must be wary of outside forces forming competing camps in the region. This is believed to be aimed at deterring the U.S., Europe, and other countries that are becoming increasingly involved in the Taiwan issue and other issues.

Regarding relations with the U.S. and Europe, Mr. Putin also declared that "Russia will resist sanctions and provocations," and clarified his stance on countering such sanctions by strengthening cooperation with the SCO member countries.

The meeting discussed energy security and the use of digital technology. Iran, which had been an observer country, officially joined the SCO, and Belarus signed a memorandum of understanding to join. Prime Minister Modi also commented, "The SCO is a forum for peace, prosperity, and development in the Asian region as a whole. The fact that other countries are showing interest in joining is proof of the importance of this organization.

On the other hand, the summit was supposed to be held face-to-face in New Delhi, but India's decision to hold the meeting in an online format caused a stir. According to Indian government officials, China and Pakistan, whose relations have been deteriorating due to border issues and other problems, did not contact them about attending the face-to-face meeting. On the same day, Mr. Modi also made a remark criticizing Pakistan, saying, "Some countries provide hiding places for terrorists," with Pakistan in mind.

Mr. Modi has been strengthening his ties with the U.S., including a visit to the U.S. until about 10 days ago. Some observers believe that he avoided holding a face-to-face meeting of the SCO out of concern that the meeting would be seen as a show of opposition to the U.S. and Europe. Modi did not mention the invasion of Ukraine in his opening remarks at the meeting.