TEHRAN -- The Iranian parliament on Sunday approved a bill for Iran's membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

The bill was approved by the overwhelming majority of the lawmakers, according to the report.

Abolfazl Amouei, the spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of parliament, said that the parliament's approval of Iran's membership to the SCO contains an international message of "Iran's multilateralism tendency in the field of foreign policy."

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian welcomed the parliament's move on Twitter, saying that "the categorical vote for the bill on the accession of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the SCO is indicative of our country's resolve and seriousness to develop regional, international and economic cooperation and bolster (the country's) approach to Asia."

"The approach of multilateralism is the reality of this century," he said.

In September 2021, the 21st summit of the SCO leaders in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, declared the decision to start admitting Iran as a full member of the SCO from an observer.