ASTANA. April 26. /TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization expects that Belarus will join the SCO very soon, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said.

"It is a good sign that the list of participants in our meeting continues to expand. We welcome the Islamic Republic of Iran gaining membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and expect Belarus to become a new member in the near future," Shoigu said, speaking at a meeting of SCO defense ministers.

He is certain that "this is an important moment in strengthening security in the SCO space, which will give an additional impetus to the joint work of the SCO member-states’ defense ministries."