Civilnet
By Alexander Pracht
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which concluded in Tianjin, China, on Monday, brought together Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and delegations from both countries. According to reports, both Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed interest in joining the organization, though their bids reportedly faced opposition from member states.
Insiders claimed that India vetoed Azerbaijan’s application, while Belarus and Pakistan blocked Armenia’s.
Asked about the matter, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry did not confirm or deny the reports.
“At this moment, we will not go into the details of the process, but I can say that on the issue of Armenia’s accession, we see sufficient constructive approaches and mutual understanding. [...] We will continue our work with interested SCO member states towards the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation with the organization,” MFA spokesperson Ani Badalyan told state news agency Armenpress on Monday.
The development came only a day after Armenia and Pakistan established diplomatic relations, following more than three decades of Islamabad’s refusal to recognize Armenian statehood in solidarity with Baku. The decision was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries during the Tianjin summit, weeks after Armenia and Azerbaijan signed agreements toward normalization on August 8.
Armenia’s difficulties with Belarus also loomed over the summit. Relations between Yerevan and Minsk deteriorated sharply in May 2024, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko publicly acknowledged he had wished Azerbaijan victory in the Karabakh war.
A month later, American outlet Politico published leaked documents showing that Belarus had provided Azerbaijan with military support, including supplies of artillery, electronic warfare equipment, and counter-drone systems, all despite being a formal ally of Armenia within the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
In response, Pashinyan announced that neither he nor any Armenian official would visit Belarus as long as Lukashenko remained in office.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a Eurasian political, economic and security bloc founded in 2001, bringing together China, Russia, India and several Central Asian states, as well as Belarus that only joined last year.
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