Current Context : Recently, in the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Eurasian country – Belarus was joined as the 10th full member of the SCO.

ABOUT SCO

• Established on June 15, 2001, with five member countries: Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• It was a regional organisation that replaced the China-led Shanghai Five Organisation.
• India and Pakistan joined the organisation in
• It was further expanded in 2023, and Iran was admitted as its 9th Member.
• Belarus, became the 10th full member of the SCO in 2024 which was earlier the Observer country at the SCO,
• Observer Status: Afghanistan and Mongolia