INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN- The latest blasphemous act against the Holy Quran in Sweden has prompted Iran to request an “emergency” meeting of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers.Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and OIC Secretary-General Hissein
Brahim Taha spoke on the phone on Friday to discuss the sacrilegious burning of a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm, the
capital of Sweden.The OIC foreign ministers should convene as soon as possible to discuss the sacrilegious act, according to Amir
Abdollahian.He stated that the meeting might take place on July 5 and 6 in Baku, Azerbaijan, concurrent with the ministerial conference of
the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement.The senior Iranian diplomat condemned the latest “offensive and provocative” conduct
against the Quran once more.In a repeated and state-authorized act of sacrilege against the Muslim holy book, two men burnt a copy of the
holy book outside Stockholm’s main mosque on Wednesday after receiving permission from a Swedish court.The decision was made to coincide
with Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday that commemorates the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.The action has been denounced by several Arab and
Muslim nations.Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi declared on Friday that the Muslim world would never forget the recent sacrilegious deed
committed against “the most valuable divine book” in a Western nation that professes to support free speech.Meanwhile, the OIC chairman
praised Iran’s leadership position in the organization and the importance it places on condemning the blasphemous conduct. He also stated
that the OIC intends to hold an emergency meeting of ambassadors and permanent representatives in the Saudi city of Jeddah to that
aim.“Membership of Iran in SCO can level up capacity”Also, Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian said on Friday that Iran’s inclusion in
the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will increase the bloc’s weight.Amir Abdollahian made the statements during a phone call with
SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, amid reports that Iran’s full membership will be approved next week.He stated that the Iranian
parliament and government, notably the Foreign Ministry, had worked hard to compile and ratify the documents related to the country’s full
membership.Earlier on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Iran’s membership in the SCO will be formally
approved. “At the upcoming meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership of Iran will be approved,” Lavrov said.The senior
Iranian diplomat praised the SCO secretary-general’s efforts and cooperation in completing the full membership process.Iran, according to
Amir Abdollahian, is prepared to participate in the SCO’s upcoming virtual summit.In the upcoming week, he declared, Iran will formally
introduce its coordinator to the organization’s secretariat.Although Iran originally requested to join the bloc 15 years ago, it wasn’t
granted membership until 2021.The SCO, which has its headquarters in China, is a diplomatic group with eight members: China, Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, India, and Pakistan.The bloc was founded in 2001, and its members collaborate militarily,
address common security challenges, and advance internal trade.
