History is literally made before our eyes. Belarus is about to join the SCO. The organization today is a prominent player on the geopolitical map of the world. Experts have no doubt that Minsk enters the "Shanghai family" with a long-range goal. We intend to make the most of it taking part in multilateral projects.
In the current circumstances, you certainly cannot go far on your own, so it is important to look for friends of interest. Belarus has more and more friends of that kind in the east and not only in the SCO, we are building up cooperation with countries of the so-called far arc, joining new centers of power.
The main figures worth knowing about the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are almost half the world's population, almost one third of global GDP, and over 16 percent of global trade. The "Shanghai family" includes India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. And 13 other countries are partners in the dialogue. Three are observers.
The world analysts and the media, trying to determine the current status of the organization call it "an alternative to the Western pole" or "a centralized voice of the Eurasian region for justice and peace order".
Belarus has long been involved in the great Shanghai dialogue. At first as a partner. Since 2015 - as an observer. Our country intends to expand its participation in the future.
