Their relations are particularly strained with theWest. The Belarus, Moscow’s main ally, officially became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday, July 4, joining Russia and China.
The decision was announced by the SCO on its Telegram channel, on the occasion of its summit held this Thursday in Astana. In addition to Russia, China and now Belarus, the other SCO countries are India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
“It is in our power to destroy the walls of a unipolar world, to feed people, to put an end to many contradictions and conflicts caused by social inequality, the deficit of food products and resources,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko assured.
A “fair multipolar world order”
The SCO will call today for a “fair multipolar world order,” Putin said, a phrase aimed at US supremacy that he denounces. In their final statement, the member states will stress their “commitment to the formation of a fair multipolar world order, based on the central role of the United Nations, international law and the aspiration of sovereign states for mutually beneficial partnership,” Putin said at the opening of the plenary session in Astana, the Kazakh capital.
For the Russian president and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, also present at the summit, this “multipolar” world is intended to be an alternative to American hegemony over world affairs, which they denounce.
Vladimir Putin, particularly since his invasion of Ukraine, has made efforts to bring together countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America around this idea.