President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has signed a decree on February 12 approving the Memorandum of Belarus' commitments to become a member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The Memorandum, an international treaty, outlines the obligations undertaken by Belarus to obtain the status of a SCO member state. According to the document, Belarus pledges to adhere to the goals and principles of the Charter, provisions of the Agreement, as well as international treaties and documents adopted within the SCO framework.
Belarus commits to joining the Charter, the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism of June 15, 2001, and its protocols by no later than December 1, 2023, upon receiving notification from the SCO Secretariat regarding the completion of necessary domestic procedures.
Upon fulfilling these procedures, Belarus undertakes to accede to international treaties within the SCO framework by no later than January 15, 2024. Subsequently, the Council of Heads of State will decide on granting Belarus the status of a SCO member state in accordance with the established procedure.
The Memorandum also stipulates that decisions made by SCO bodies before Belarus' accession to the Organization will apply to Belarus from the date of the Council of Heads of State decision. The Memorandum comes into effect 30 days after the SCO Secretariat receives the last written notification confirming the completion of domestic procedures by SCO member states and Belarus necessary for its entry into force. The SCO Secretariat informs the Parties of received written notifications on the completion of domestic procedures.
