MINSK, July 4. Analyst at the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Studies research Olga Lazorkina stated that it is important for Belarus to be a full member of the SCO, which is a new center of development in the world, while Minsk will not simply be a statistic in the organization.
On the Fourth of July 2024, the republic's membership in the SCO was formalized. At the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced a decision on Belarus' full membership in the organization. Minsk became the tenth member of the SCO. 
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“The world needs not only alternative platforms to the West, but also organizations that have a history of success. The SCO and BRICS have proven their viability and that today they can act as new development centers. It is important for Belarus to join these development centers in full status to work together on a new global agenda in the field of security, economics, and international cooperation,” Lazorkina said on Thursday.
The expert noted that joining the SCO was a strategic choice for Belarus. According to her, one of the key areas in which cooperation between Belarus and the SCO can develop is ensuring genuine security. “This is the expression of our president… This is a new terminology that was initiated by the Republic of Belarus and will be developed jointly with the SCO member countries,” Lazorkina noted.
Another area of cooperation, she said, is the “economy of trust and cooperation.” “The political situation today creates very serious problems on the path of development of almost all countries. It is important today to talk not about the world economy, not about the global economy, but about its new vision — the economy of trust and responsibility to all members of the world community. Many countries remain in the status of developing “The problems that arose in 2020 after the pandemic hit the world have not yet been resolved due to the lack of trust and responsibility on the part of a number of countries that are our opponents today,” the interlocutor said.
The third direction, she continued, is the mutual enrichment of cultures. “The cultural and humanitarian component is important for our country and region. We see that many conflicts in the post-Soviet space are precisely aimed at breaking the historical cultural link, which is cementing the basis for the stable development of our region. It is important for Belarus to record that “that we work for people, and do not build some artificial schemes into which people will have to fit in. Everything should be based on a plurality of views and the ability to be able to develop a unified approach,” Lazorkina noted. She expressed confidence that it is possible to develop a scheme for the dignified coexistence of all countries in the world.
“Belarus has never been a statistic in any organization. We were included in all the structures that we have ever been a part of for a reason,” the analyst emphasized. She recalled that Belarus, which lost every third inhabitant and was destroyed during the Second World War, is one of the founding countries of the UN. “The Belarusian delegation took the most active position in all UN structures. Along with the USSR delegation, we built a system of collective security in the 60s-80s; in the 90s, when we gained independence, we declared a nuclear-free status in order to make the situation stable in region,» Lazorkina said.
She noted that today Belarus continues to adhere to the same active position. “We are gaining a foothold in various (international and regional — ed.) structures, we come there not just to hear someone’s opinion — we constantly make our proposals… The application (for Belarus to join the SCO as a full member — ed.) was supported by everyone, because that all SCO countries, including the UN, know very well that Belarus as a mere guest is not in danger of playing anywhere — neither in the SCO, nor in BRICS, nor in any other structure,” the analyst emphasized.
The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001. It includes India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Observer countries — Afghanistan and Mongolia, partner countries — Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, UAE, Turkey and Sri Lanka.