SCO doesn’t make quick decisions: Former secretary-general on Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s membership

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is not delaying the accession of Armenia and Azerbaijan; their membership requires consensus, former SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov told TASS.

“The procedure for admitting new member states is clearly defined and has stood the test of time. Decisions are made by consensus. In the history of the SCO, not a single application has been rejected. Each application is carefully and thoroughly considered on an individual basis. It may seem that the process is being delayed, but that is not the case,” Alimov said, commenting on Yerevan’s and Baku’s membership bids.

The former secretary-general noted that the issue is not the speed of reviewing applications but rather the continuous nature of the process.

“The SCO does not make quick decisions,” Alimov said.