The Heads of state and government from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states attended the significant summit held in Astana, Kazakhstan. During the opening session of the event, Belarus officially became a full-fledged member of the SCO, bringing its count to ten members.
Belarusian membership documents were signed at the commencement of the organisation’s gathering in Astana. The announcement was made by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, whose country is presiding over the SCO for 2024. He highlighted that Belarus had “completed all the necessary procedures on the way to full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in a short period of time.
The SCO was established in 2001, and it encompasses India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and now Belarus. Several other countries play the role of observers within the organization. The bloc’s objectives are to enhance relations among member states and encourage collaboration in political, economic, scientific, cultural, and educational fields.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko views SCO membership as a “strategic perspective” for Minsk, particularly concerning economic and infrastructure development. He also emphasized that the SCO “by its very nature is a creative organization and is not directed against anyone.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed Moscow’s interest in acting “as a united front” with Minsk in international relations. I think things are moving in the right direction here,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed Belarus’ accession to the SCO, describing the country as a “very important ally” for Moscow. He stated that Belarus’ membership “will be a great gain for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization”, and added that the nation would also benefit from this move.
Peskov did not dismiss the possibility of new members joining the organization in the future. The expansion of the SCO is gradual, it takes time. The number of those who want to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is quite large,” he said, mentioning that the issue would be discussed at the Astana summit.
However, Zhang Ming, the current SCO secretary-general, indicated that admitting new members is not currently a priority for the organization. We have received applications from several countries for dialogue partner status, as well as applications for upgraded observer status from some dialogue partners,” he explained. All these issues are discussed in the context of improving the organization’s activities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin characterized the SCO as “one of the key pillars of a fair multipolar world order”, noting that its expansion serves to strengthen the organization’s role in this context.