- Saudi Arabia's cabinet on Tuesday approved a memorandum awarding Riyadh the status of dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
- The SCO is a political, security and trade alliance that lists China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four other central Asian nations as members.
The state-owned Saudi Press Agency said that, in a session presided by King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi cabinet on Tuesday approved a memorandum awarding Riyadh the status of dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization — a political, security and trade alliance that lists China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four other central Asian nations as full members.
The organization further tallies four observer states — including Iran — and nine dialogue partners, counting in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. It is headquartered in Beijing and served by China's Zhang Ming as secretary-general.
Saudi Arabia's decision to join the SCO, while falling short of full membership, takes Riyadh's interests further east, at a time when Beijing is testing out its sway in the Middle East in a potential hit to U.S. influence. In early March, China brokered a deal for long-time Mideast rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in each other's countries.
Of course they did.
When it's all over, old Joe will be standing there limp dick in hand wondering WTF happened and then blame it on MAGA republicans.....Sure as shit.
But......These things happen when you lose wars and turn Iraq into an Iranian client state and manage to burn every bridge in the region. Hell, we even managed to let the Taliban frame themselves as the good guys vs ISIS.
FJB and his clown show "state department".