Ambassador: Russia fully supports Belarus’ intention to join SCO

Russia fully supports the desire of Belarus to become a part of the friendly family of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said in a statement posted on the website of the Russian Embassy in Belarus, BelTA has learned.
“Russia certainly fully supports Belarus' aspiration to become part of the friendly family of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which has for many years been productively working to maintain peace, security and stability in the region, promote economic development and build a democratic, fair world order. I am confident that as a member of the SCO Belarus will make a considerable contribution to achieving the goals set before the organization,” said Boris Gryzlov.
The ambassador is confident that SCO membership will provide Belarus with a number of indisputable additional opportunities especially urgent in today's realities. “We are talking about the full access to numerous programs and projects in economy, finance, trade, logistics and so on. There are great prospects for cooperation in security and anti-crime, infrastructure development, environmental protection and many other areas of regional cooperation,” he explained.
Russia and Belarus have extensive experience of constructive and fruitful cooperation within the Union State. Belarus is a reliable partner on the platforms of integration associations - CIS, EAEU and CSTO. With this in mind, Boris Gryzlov believes that Belarus' accession to the SCO will facilitate further consolidation of the Eurasian region as a new pole of power. According to him, the summit in Samarkand will be an important step in this direction.
As BelTA reported earlier, Belarus has applied for membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. On 15 July SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming officially confirmed its receipt. Thus, all the necessary formal steps have been taken and conditions have been created to start the procedure for the country to join the SCO as its full-fledged member.