Moscow. 29th of November. INTERFAX.RU – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko signed a memorandum approved by parliament on the republic’s obligations to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The document was published on Wednesday on the National Legal Internet Portal.
“Ratify the Memorandum of Obligations of the Republic of Belarus in order to obtain the status of a member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, signed in New Delhi on July 4, 2023,” the document says.
The Government of Belarus is instructed to “take the measures necessary to formalize the participation of the Republic of Belarus in the Memorandum.”
Ratification of the memorandum was determined by the SCO member states as a necessary condition for Belarus to join the organization.
In particular, Belarus undertakes to comply with the goals and principles of the SCO Charter, the provisions of the agreement on long-term good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation of member states of the organization, as well as international treaties and documents adopted within the SCO.
The Republic undertakes to accede to all international treaties and documents adopted within the SCO within the time limits specified in the memorandum.
The memorandum determines the procedure for filling quota positions by Belarusian citizens in the permanent SCO bodies, as well as the financial aspects of the republic’s entry into the organization. In particular, Belarus’ membership in the SCO will require making a contribution to the organization’s budget on an annual basis. Belarus’ share of the SCO budget will be 5.8%, the republic’s parliament previously reported.
Starting from 2024, funds to pay the annual contribution will be provided in the republican budget to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus for international activities. The Parliament of Belarus noted that the implementation of international treaties by competent government agencies will be carried out at the expense of funds allocated from the republican budget for the maintenance of these bodies and will not entail additional appropriations.
The SCO includes India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Source: Interfax
