Astana, May 21 (EFE).- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday took the final steps towards the official admission of Belarus, which will become the tenth member of this international organization on July 4, according to its Secretary General, Zhang Ming.
“Special attention was given to the SCO’s expansion process (…) with the presence of Belarusian Foreign Minister, Sergei Aleinik. We fine-tuned the details of Belarus’s admission process into the SCO,” he told a press conference after the conclusion of the foreign ministers’ meeting held in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.
Aleinik said that his country would prioritize “the enhancement of effective cooperation” among SCO members “to strengthen regional security.”
“We are ready to contribute to the work of interaction mechanisms through the heads of security councils, defense ministers, and regional anti-terrorist organizations,” he said.
Furthermore, he noted that “Belarus expects an intensification of economic interaction as a full member of the SCO.”
“We are prepared to join economic development programs, the work of the business forum, meetings of industry and energy ministers, and the SCO Special Economic Zones Alliance,” he added.
The meeting began the previous day, hours after news broke about the death of Ebrahim Raisi, President of Iran, the most recent SCO member.
Tuesday’s plenary session started with a minute of silence in honor of the deceased president and other senior Iranian officials who lost their lives following the crash of the helicopter in which they were traveling.
Zhang emphasized the validity of the main principle of the SCO, which is to maintain peace and security in the member countries. After Belarus’s admission, the organization will encompass almost half of the world’s population, a quarter of the global GDP, and 15% of international trade.
The foreign ministers gathered in Astana discussed current issues such as the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism. They also analyzed cybersecurity matters, the situation in Afghanistan, and climate change, and signed 22 agreements, including preparations for the Astana summit on July 4, cooperation to ensure drinking water security, waste management, and energy development until 2030, among others.
The SCO currently includes China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, and Belarus is expected to become its tenth member at the upcoming Astana summit. EFE