Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, has announced that Tehran will host and chair the 21st Summit of Chief Justices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in 2026.

The 20th Summit of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of SCO member states opened on Monday in Hangzhou, China, with the Iranian delegation led by Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei in attendance.

Following the conclusion of the meeting, Gharibabadi wrote on his X account that Mohseni-Ejei was unanimously elected to preside over the next session of the summit in 2026.

He added that during the summit, Mohseni-Ejei held bilateral meetings with the heads of delegations from eight countries—China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan—focused on enhancing and expanding judicial cooperation.

Gharibabadi also explained the key proposals put forward by Iran’s Judiciary Chief during the SCO summit, which included the creation of a judicial information-sharing platform to accelerate criminal prosecutions, harmonization of legal frameworks to combat terrorism, expansion of judicial diplomacy in the field of cybercrime, the establishment of an international arbitration center to resolve commercial disputes, and concerted efforts to combat human trafficking.

Following the two-day visit to China, Mohseni-Ejei stressed that countries aiming to uphold justice, peace, and sustainable global security must strengthen communication and cooperation with one another.

He added that through collective consultation and coordination, such countries can resist the imposition of will by hegemonic powers.

Highlighting the urgency of deepening partnerships, Mohseni-Ejei pointed to the accelerating pace of technological advancements, widespread global connectivity, and the rise of unilateral policies by certain authoritarian states as factors necessitating closer ties among nations with shared interests.

“It is evident that the stronger countries’ ties become in political, economic, and security areas, the more judicial cooperation and interaction must also be expanded and strengthened,” said Mohseni-Ejei.

He described the SCO as a major international body with vast geographic and demographic capacity, noting that the summit served as a platform to raise and discuss a range of regional and international issues pertinent to the judicial institutions of member states.

“In this summit,” he stated, “while pointing to certain legal gaps in the field of judicial affairs, proposals were made to better serve the member countries, and opportunities and challenges related to artificial intelligence were also reviewed, with members presenting their views on the subject.”

Mohseni-Ejei described his bilateral engagements in China as “constructive discussions,” and said, “During these sessions, constructive and valuable discussions were held on judicial, intelligence, and security matters.”

With over 40 percent of the global population, the SCO stands as the world’s largest regional organization by geographic span and population.

Member countries are actively working to enhance cooperation across economic, political, security, defense, and legal-judicial sectors, as the organization continues to evolve into a vital platform for regional integration.

Leading a high-ranking judicial delegation, Mohseni-Ejei traveled to Hangzhou, China, on Monday to attend the 20th Assembly of Heads of Judicial Systems of SCO Member States. He returned to Tehran on Wednesday following the summit’s conclusion.