Belarus on Thursday joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), becoming its 10th member state.

“Belarus has completed all the necessary procedures on the way to SCO membership in a short period of time," Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said as he opened the second day of SCO sessions in Astana and proposed signing of the relevant protocols.

Belarus became a dialogue partner in the SCO in 2010 and an observer state in 2015. ​​​​​​​

The organization was founded in 2001 in Shanghai. Initially, it consisted of six countries -- Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In 2017, India and Pakistan joined the bloc, and Iran in 2023.

​​​​​​​There are two other observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia, and 14 dialogue partners including Türkiye.