Agenda for peace and trust

St. Petersburg has hosted the 4th Eurasian Women’s Forum, which brought together a record number of guests from over 125 countries worldwide. Among the speakers were representatives from China and India, Türkiye and Serbia, Cyprus and Mexico. The official delegation from Belarus headed by the Speaker of the Council of the Republic, Natalya Kochanova, participated in the forum’s events. The main topic for discussion was the role of women in strengthening trust and global co-operation.

What Natalya Kochanova talked about at the 4th Eurasian Women’s Forum

Natalya Kochanova and Valentina Matviyenko

On the achievements of Belarusian people

In 2024, Belarus has held its first unified day of voting, during which deputies at all levels were elected. The 7th Belarusian People’s Congress under its new constitutional status has successfully taken place. This year, we have celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and the institution of presidency, as well as the 80th anniversary of Belarus’ liberation from Nazi German invaders. The greatest achievement of the Belarusian people is that, in a historically brief period, under the wise and far-sighted leadership of Belarus’ President, we have managed to build our sovereign independent republic — a country that consistently reaffirms its status as a strong, peaceful, and friendly state with a responsible and predictable foreign policy.

On the escalation of the situation around Belarus

There are systematic attempts of external interference in the internal affairs of our country, economic pressure, militarisation of the border area, military provocations, as well as the construction of iron curtains. Belarus condemns the illegitimate sanctions policy of Western countries, the creation of artificial barriers to the movement of goods and commodities, the freedom of movement of citizens, as well as numerous discriminatory decisions in the so-called developed democracies, which are based on gross violations of human rights. We call on international organisations to effectively fulfil their mandates, ensure compliance with the principle of sovereign equality of states, and seek an end to the arbitrary sanctions that exacerbate the global problems of mankind.

On global threats  

The ‘red lines’ are becoming increasingly blurred, posing a threat of a real war on a planetary scale — one in which there will be no winners. We must collectively counteract the destructive policies that divide and distance states from one another. We should consolidate our efforts to prevent and combat terrorism and extremism, and resolve current conflicts peacefully. Belarus embodies and preserves fundamental family and traditional values, diligently protecting and cultivating them.

From the speech of Natalya Kochanova 

 — Belarus is successfully developing and can rightfully serve as an example to many other countries in the world. This is evidenced by our country’s high positions in international rankings.    
• 34th among 166 states in the Sustainable Development Goals Index;  
• 61st among 169 states in the Social Development Index;  
• 69th among 193 states in the Global Human Development Index;  
• 35th among 175 states with the highest childhood life satisfaction;  
• 25th in the ranking of the most comfortable countries for motherhood.

4th Eurasian Women’s Forum in Saint Petersburg
During a meeting between Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova and Vice President of the Republic of Uganda Jessica Alupo, the parties discussed promising areas of bilateral co-operation, including the exchange of technologies and experience in agriculture, as well as in machine engineering and municipal services. “Belarus is building the kindest relations with the countries that live and develop according to their own laws,” emphasised Natalya Kochanova. “Uganda and Belarus are united by their aspiration for sovereignty and independence.”  
The Chairperson of the Council of the Republic noted that Belarus is ready to assist Uganda with technology, “Our country is highly developed and has large enterprises for the production of agricultural machinery. We are actively supplying potash fertilisers. We have strong public organisations which unite our women and youth. If we start co-operating in this direction, it will be mutually beneficial for our countries.”  
During the conversation, the speaker invited the Ugandan leadership headed by the president to Belarus.  

Our strength lies in unity  

Another equally important meeting was with Chairperson of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko. At the beginning of the dialogue, Natalya Kochanova highlighted the significance of the fact that in such a challenging historical moment in the lives of Belarus and Russia, the peoples and authorities of both countries remain united, “It is impossible to divide us, because these are our roots, history, mentality, and attitude to each other. We are fortunate to have great leaders — presidents who think about their peoples, about the future of their countries, and live by this. We certainly must provide all possible support in addressing the challenges that our countries are facing.”  
“Amidst an assault on our national interests, provocations, opposition, and attempts to hinder our development, the unification of efforts between Russia and Belarus within the framework of the Union State is the main response to our adversaries that strengthens our capabilities in combating threats,” underlined Valentina Matviyenko.

Following the meetings and discussions with journalists, Natalya Kochanova noted that the Eurasian Women’s Forum is a platform where each country can convey the truth about its state, “Despite the fact that we come from different countries, we have complete unanimity on the issues we have discussed. During the meetings, we talked a lot about our country and saw that Belarus is known and the policies pursued in our state are shared. It is a peaceful policy of good neighbourliness towards all countries, a desire to help and support each other in defending the sovereignty and independence of each state.”