Belarus will be admitted to the SCO in 2023. This was stated to the media representatives by the Secretary of State of the country's Security Council, Alexander Volfovich.

"This year, the president has set such a task. We must realize this task," he said, noting that this will strengthen the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The issue of Belarus joining the SCO as a full-fledged member was also discussed at the meeting of the SCO foreign ministers held in early May in Indian Panaji (Goa). Then Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, the country that currently chairs the organization, announced significant progress on this issue.

Since 2010, Belarus has been a dialogue partner of the SCO. Five years later, she received observer status.

In 2021, Belarus announced that it was ready to join the SCO as a full participant, and in 2022, the procedure for admission of the republic to membership in the organization started.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an international structure that was founded in 2001. It includes India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. The observer countries are Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia.

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