Aref: Iran always prefers peace over confrontation
Tehran - BORNA - Addressing the SCO prime ministers' meeting in Dushanbe, Aref said the region and the world have witnessed major challenges over the past two years, "including unprecedented, blatant and brazen violations of the most fundamental human values and of the principles of international law and the UN Charter by the United States and the Israeli regime," which have placed peace, security and the achievements of the international community in recent decades "under serious threat and in danger of destruction."
Aref also said Iran supports the activities of the SCO Business Council and Interbank Consortium, stressing that strengthening cooperation among the private sectors of member states is an important opportunity to reinforce the organization's operational dimension.
The full text of Aref's remarks at the expanded meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government follows:
"Your Excellency Mr. Qahhor Rasulzoda, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan,
Heads of Delegations and Distinguished Prime Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I would like to express my pleasure at attending the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. I thank you and the government of the Republic of Tajikistan for the worthy hosting of this important meeting in the beautiful city of Dushanbe.
This meeting is not only an opportunity to review our economic and organizational achievements, but also an occasion to discuss the improvement and enhancement of the organization's activities in the current highly fluid conditions of the world.
The international system is in a turbulent period, facing unprecedented threats arising from unilateralism and the supremacism of a few countries. Our region and the world have witnessed major challenges over the past two years, including unprecedented, blatant and brazen violations of the most fundamental human values and of the principles of international law and the UN Charter by the United States of America and the Israeli regime, which have placed peace, security and the achievements of the international community in recent decades under serious threat and in danger of destruction.
As you are aware, the Islamic Republic of Iran was once again the target of overt military aggression by the United States of America and the Israeli regime in February this year — an aggression that was a clear violation of the UN Charter, the principle of the prohibition of the use of force, and the national sovereignty of an independent state. While the Islamic Republic of Iran had chosen the path of dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations to resolve differences were underway, the response came not through diplomacy but through an illegal and unjust military attack.
On the first day of the oppressive and savage aggression, not only was the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution martyred along with members of his family, but the aggressors also attacked a school in the city of Minab and massacred 168 innocent students, school staff and students' family members. On the same day, a sports facility in the city of Lamerd in Fars province was also targeted by prohibited bombs that were dropped on teenage girls and boys who were engaged in sport.
What happened during the forty days of oppressive military aggression against Iran was not merely an attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran; it was a direct attack on the foundations of the international legal order and the principle of the sovereign equality of states. Attacks on civilian infrastructure, educational, university and medical centers, economic facilities, and also peaceful nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency establish a highly dangerous precedent that, if left uncondemned by the international community, will leave no country's security immune from its consequences.
The Islamic Republic of Iran exercised its inherent right of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, and at the same time once again showed that it does not seek war and instability and always prefers peace over confrontation.
Excellencies,
Here I deem it necessary to thank the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for their constructive and encouraging positions regarding these aggressions and attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran. As a result of those oppressive military aggressions, we today face a new reality. Disruption of economic security and disturbance in trade, energy, transportation, the payment system and supply chains in one country can show its effects across the entire region and even in the global economy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has today become an important and undeniable reality in regional and international equations. At present, the question before us is how the enormous opportunities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can be converted from cooperation capacity into cooperation outcomes. Relying on the enormous capacities of member states and with the presence of partner countries and observers, this organization can become one of the most effective centers of economic, security and sustainable development cooperation in the world. But this important goal will be realized only in the shadow of tangible, concrete and inclusive practical cooperation. In the face of the existing crises in the region and the world, our response must be more cooperation, more connectivity, more diversity and enhanced resilience.
The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization possess rare opportunities in the fields of economy, trade, energy, transportation, technology, science, culture and humanitarian cooperation. Now is the time to convert these capacities into joint projects, joint investment, more trade and more tangible prosperity for the peoples of member states.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to play an active role in realizing the development goals of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and to participate in and assist the advancement of goals and initiatives in various economic, financial and infrastructural fields.
Distinguished guests,
The Islamic Republic of Iran supports increasing the use of national currencies in trade among members, the interconnection of banking infrastructures, the development of national financial messaging systems and the creation of new settlement mechanisms. The establishment of the SCO Development Bank can be a turning point on this path. Given the progress of negotiations on the establishment of this bank, we propose that we move from the stage of dialogue to the stage of operational design. It is also necessary to develop export insurance instruments and investment risk coverage so that the private sector can enter the organization's joint projects with greater confidence.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, while emphasizing the strengthening of cooperation among the private sectors of member states, supports the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Business Council and Interbank Consortium and believes that these activities are an important opportunity to strengthen the organization's operational dimension, and stresses the necessity of strengthening the operational functions of these two institutions.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready, within the framework of these two institutions, to place its experiences and capacities at the disposal of joint cooperation.
The organization's Interbank Consortium can also, by strengthening cooperation among the banks of member states and dialogue partners, play an effective role in reducing financial risks and strengthening economic resilience through the development of independent payment mechanisms and greater use of national currencies.
We welcome the results of the meeting of the Council of the SCO Interbank Consortium in July 2026 in Cholpon-Ata, which was accompanied by the signing of the Consortium's Development Strategy for 2027-2031 and the approval of a roadmap in the field of sustainable and social financing. The Islamic Republic of Iran has proposed Bank Keshavarzi for membership in this Consortium. The membership process is under review, and we hope to see Bank Keshavarzi's membership in this union in the shortest possible time.
Excellencies,
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization stands at an important juncture in its history. This organization today, more than ever, needs a new vision, an agile structure and inclusive cooperation. We must benefit from the unparalleled capacity of this organization in economic, cultural, technological and humanitarian fields to realize sustainable development and shared regional security.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready, within the framework of approved programs, to cooperate actively alongside the members and partners of the organization to realize the organization's goals in the fields of economic growth, cultural exchanges and technological innovation.
I hope the results of this meeting will be another step on the path of strengthening mutual trust, sustainable development and convergence among the great nations that are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, its partners and neighboring countries.
We are confident that, relying on the enormous capacities of member states and dialogue partners and with mutual respect, multilateralism and equal cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can be transformed into one of the most effective centers of economic cooperation and sustainable development in the world.
In conclusion, I once again sincerely thank the worthy hosting and the efforts of the Republic of Tajikistan during its chairmanship, and I wish pride, prosperity and sustainable development for the government and the friendly and brotherly nation of the Republic of Tajikistan. I also wish success for the Republic of Uzbekistan during its chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization."
End Article