Belarus ratifies memorandum on joining Shanghai Cooperation Organization

MINSK, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a memorandum on the country's commitment to becoming a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), according to a document published on the National Legal Internet Portal of Belarus on Wednesday.

According to the document, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus will be instructed to take all necessary measures to "formalize Belarus' participation in the memorandum."

The bill on the ratification of the memorandum was approved by the Belarusian House of Representatives on Nov. 1, and by the Council of the Republic on Nov. 22, according to the BelTA news agency.

A memorandum of Belarus' commitment to join the SCO as a permanent member was originally signed by member countries at the recent SCO summit that took place in New Delhi in July.

The memorandum requires Belarus to comply with the goals and principles enshrined in the SCO Charter, Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as international treaties and documents adopted within the SCO framework.

The SCO was established in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were admitted as full members in June 2017 and Iran in July 2023.