Belarus ratifies memorandum on joining Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed into law a memorandum on the country’s commitments related to obtaining membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The document, published by the country’s national online database of legislative information, tells "to ratify the Memorandum on commitments undertaken by the Republic of Belarus in order to obtain the status of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s member country, signed in New Delhi on July 4, 2023," TASS reports.

It also tasks "the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus with taking measures necessary for formalizing the Republic of Belarus’ participation in the Memorandum."

The document obliges Minsk to follow goals and principles enshrined by the SCO charter, the SCO Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation and other international treaties and documents adopted by the organization.

Belarus undertakes to join the organization’s charter and the Shanghai Convention on combating terrorism, separatism and extremism and additional protocols no later than December 1. Deadlines for joining other SCO agreements listed in two annexes of the memorandum are January 15, 2024, and April 15, 2024.

At present, the SCO comprises Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Belarus became an SCO dialogue partner in 2010 and obtained observer status in 2015. The membership procedure was launched during the SCO summit in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand in 2022.

The memorandum was signed by SCO leaders during this year’s summit in New Delhi.

Minsk’s accession is expected to be finalized before the organization’s next summit, scheduled to take place in 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan.