China Welcomes Belarus' Bid for SCO Membership

© Sputnik / Bolat Shaikhinov / Go to the mediabankThe flag of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and flags of the SCO member states in Astana
The flag of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and flags of the SCO member states in Astana - Sputnik International, 1920, 26.07.2022
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BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has expressed its support for Belarus’ application to become member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.

"China supports the application of Belarus to join the SCO and is ready to actively review it and make a decision together with other member states," Lijian told a briefing.

Lijian noted that Belarus, in its current status as an observer state, has actively participated in relevant SCO activities, making an important contribution to the organization's "healthy and stable" development.
Belarus submitted its application to join the SCO earlier this month. SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming has confirmed the receipt of Belarus' application and said that the organization stands ready to begin all necessary legal procedures. Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov said that the accession process might be launched at the summit in the Uzbek city of Samarkand in September.
The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan. The SCO's observer countries include Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia, while the partner countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey. At the summit in Dushanbe in September 2021, the SCO launched the procedure for admitting Iran to the organization and granting dialogue partner status to Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
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