The Treaty of Sa'dabad

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On July 8, 1937 AD, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, signed the Treaty of Sa'dabad in the Tehran palace of the same name, as a non-aggression pact for joint regional development. In 1943, it was extended and in 1955 it was renamed the Baghdad Pact, with Pakistan replacing Afghanistan. Later, following military coups and rise of Arab nationalism, Iraq withdrew.
The Baghdad Pact was subsequently named CENTO (Central Treaty Organization) with Britain and the US as observers. A sister organization for social-cultural affairs was established in 1964 by Iran, Turkey and Pakistan under the title Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD).
In 1979, following the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, Iran withdrew as a result of which both CENTO and RCD were dissolved. In 1985, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan decided to set up a new non-military body in its place, named the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), which in the early 1990s turned into a 10-nation body, with the joining of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrghizstan, and Afghanistan.