Belarus hopes to join the SCO at the summit in Astana, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Minsk on 25 June and thanked Russia for the support, BelTA has learned

"We really hope that this will happen in Astana [at the SCO summit in early July]. At least, judging by your recent statements, I see that we have fulfilled all our obligations and there are no problems with Belarus' accession to the SCO today. This is very important for Belarus," the Belarusian leader said.