Decision on Belarus's entry to SCO to be made at Astana summit - secretary general

TASHKENT. June 5 (Interfax) - Belarus will become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the SCO summit in July, SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming said.

"A decision on Belarus' admission to the SCO will be made at the SCO summit due in Astana next month," Zhang said at the opening ceremony of the 19th SCO Expert Forum in Tashkent on Wednesday.

This enlargement "will be a historical breakthrough," he said.

"Over more than 20 years of its development, the SCO has evolved from a regional mechanism for meetings of heads of state into a major comprehensive international organization," he said.

Over 40 representatives of national research centers from ten countries participating in SCO activities are taking part in the organization's expert forum.