The Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) Summit in Astana began with the accession of Belarus to the
Organization. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Belarusian President
Aleksandr Lukashenko on this event, noting that Belarus had promptly completed
all the procedures for full SCO membership. Thus, the summit in Astana started
its work with a full membership of 10 countries. Belarusian President previously
stated that Minsk is interested in the SCO’s initiatives. According to him, the
country was progressing step by step toward becoming a full-fledged SCO member.
Experts believe that the expansion of the Organization’s membership and the
meeting of the leaders of major powers is an unprecedented event that will
further strengthen Kazakhstan’s position on the global stage.
«Today, Belarus became a new full
member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which can now be named the
Shanghai Ten. It bears noting that interest in the SCO is rapidly growing, not
only among Asian states but also in other countries across the Eurasian
continent,» said political expert Erlan Ahmedi.
