BEIJING, July 6 In the conditions of global turbulence, Belarus especially values the unity of views of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) participants and their ability to make future-oriented, agreed decisions, Foreign Minister of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov said on Saturday.
On Saturday, a solemn ceremony of raising the national flag of Belarus took place at the SCO secretariat building in Beijing after the republic officially became the tenth member state of the association.
“»Since its formation in 2001, the SCO has strengthened, become a unique multilateral mechanism, an influential player in the system of international relations. Today the sun rises in the East, both literally and figuratively. Today the heart of Eurasia beats here,» Ryzhenkov said at the ceremony.
He noted that “using their own example, the SCO member states give peoples and countries the opportunity to feel that there are centers of power in the world where the voice of everyone without exception is heard, platforms where mutually respectful dialogue is possible, where they strive to understand and take into account historical, cultural and national characteristics of states.»
““In conditions of global turbulence, the unity of views of the SCO participants and their ability to make coordinated decisions oriented towards the future are of particular value to us,” he added.
The Minister emphasized that Belarus immediately recognized this potential of the organization and consistently moved towards the status of its full member.
““The SCO for our country is not just one of the international structures, it is a strategic prospect,” Ryzhenkov concluded.
The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001. It includes India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan; Belarus officially joined them on July 4, 2024 at the summit in Astana. The observer countries are Afghanistan and Mongolia, the SCO dialogue partner countries are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Sri Lanka.