MINSK, 27 February (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik met with Deputy Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Nurlan Yermekbayev, who is heading the SCO election observation mission to Minsk, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sergei Aleinik thanked the SCO deputy secretary general for the mission’s work in Belarus and support in the issues of the country's accession to the SCO as a full member. Belarus’ readiness to fully engage in the SCO activities was underlined.
The parties exchanged views on topical issues of interaction and discussed upcoming events within the SCO framework.
The day before, in an interview with BelTA, Nurlan Yermekbayev said that there were all the grounds for Belarus to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the near future.
“We all hope, and there is every reason for that, that in the near future the Republic of Belarus will become a full-fledged member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Although Belarus is not a newcomer to the SCO. It has been an observer state for a long time, and during this time it has shown itself, probably, no less actively than the member states of the organization, making various good proposals and initiatives. That is why all SCO member states unanimously supported Belarus’ desire to become a full member,” the SCO deputy secretary general said.
In his words, Belarus has very promptly and efficiently fulfilled all the necessary procedures and acceded to all the international treaties in force within the SCO. By March 2024 all the member states will have completed the procedures necessary to finalize the accession procedure. It is expected that the final decision will be made at the SCO summit in Astana in summer 2024.
