Belarus has become a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO)

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Completing the procedure for Belarus’ accession to the SCO as a member state was the main item on the summit’s agenda for Belarus. Aleksandr Lukashenko called it symbolic that Belarus joined the SCO in the year when it marks the 80th anniversary of liberation from the Nazi invaders. “This is a wonderful gift to the Belarusian people,” said the Head of State. The President also thanked the heads of the SCO member states for their unanimous support for this decision.
The Head of State named the areas that Belarus will highlight as a full-fledged member of the organisation, and assured that the country is ready to work shoulder to shoulder with the new chairmanship — China will take over the SCO chairmanship from Kazakhstan — to implement joint priority projects.

“We strongly believe that in the 21st century it is imperative to build genuine and indivisible global security. That said, the countries of the global majority should take the lead, since the self-obsessed and self-centred West has failed to do this. Today there are no leaders there who are capable of making important decisions on their own,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out.

The Head of State remarked that the SCO partners have come up with mutually beneficial projects in energy, transport and logistics, finance and industrial co-operation. “If we develop clear-cut rules on our platform, everyone will benefit from this, including those outside the SCO region of responsibility,” the Belarusian leader noted.

“We have the power to demolish the walls of the unipolar world, feed people, and eliminate discord and conflicts stemming from social inequality, food and resource shortages,” the Head of State emphasised.

“We will make every effort to ensure that our organisation is gaining more weight, and the number of its allies and supporters expands,” Aleksandr Lukashenko assured. The President noted that any Belarusian ideas have already received international support.

“Belarus is fully aware that the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation is not only about security, economy and trade. It is also a platform for mutual enrichment of cultures, which will certainly bring our peoples closer,” the Head of State stressed.

The Head of State suggested developing a concept for the Eurasian Charter for Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century. The idea of the charter was put forward at the international conference held in Minsk in October last year. The Head of State remarked that the conference in Minsk had already become an annual event focusing on regional security. “Invitations to attend the Minsk conference, which is due this autumn, have already been sent to top officials of your ministries of foreign affairs. I would very much like representatives of your countries to participate in discussions on the charter. We believe it should be held at the level of heads of state.”

The President urged to give a bigger priority to various integration processes on the Eurasian continent. In this regard, Aleksandr Lukashenko called to waste no time and take action fast. “Today people in the world are confused and in the dark. The UN Secretary-General has just said that the world should be bracing for more conflicts. People need direction and certainty. The SCO can do this. Yet, this must be done quickly, because time is not on our side. Today’s situation is different from what we had after the Second World War and the Cold War,” the Belarusian leader underlined.

Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested stepping up practical interaction across the entire agenda of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation. The Belarusian leader proposed starting with finances. “As a matter of priority, Belarus suggests developing a mechanism for bilateral payments using national currencies and setting up a joint financial institution of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation,” the President stated.

Another proposal concerns closer liaison in the area of digital technologies that are becoming part and parcel of our life. “This refers to those digital technologies that benefit people and the economy, not the artificial intelligence that we are anxiously awaiting. Everyone should be able to benefit from technological progress, not just Western countries and transnational corporations,” the President clarified.

Aleksandr Lukashenko assured that Belarus is ready to make whatever contribution it can to the common efforts of the SCO member countries in such areas as industry, trade, science, culture, and education. The President believes it would be a great idea to set up an AgroSCO exposition at Belarus’ largest agricultural exhibition Belagro. “We will be glad to see all the countries of the SCO family in Minsk, as well as the presentation of the SCO Demonstration Base for Agricultural Technology Exchange and Training,” the President emphasised.

• President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. Xi Jinping congratulated Aleksandr Lukashenko on Belarus’ acquiring a new status within the framework of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation. “We will definitely facilitate further stable development of our relations,” Xi Jinping stated. The Chinese leader added that the parties intend to go forward in this direction by leaps and bounds. “I am very glad that you are about to become the presiding country in 2025. It means I will have an extra opportunity to visit the People’s Republic of China next year. I have noted down your initiatives that you promote within the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation: global security, global development, global civilisation, global control of artificial intelligence. You have already noticed positive and negative aspects of artificial intelligence. We support all your initiatives by all means, particularly the key initiative to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. This initiative is consonant with Brazil’s initiative,” the President of Belarus pointed out. 

• President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif. The Belarusian Head of State suggested finalising and approving a bilateral co-operation roadmap. Shehbaz Sharif renewed his invitation to the Belarusian Head of State to visit Pakistan. “I will try my best to visit Pakistan by the end of the year,” said the Belarusian leader. “There will be a number of bilateral events this year. The joint intergovernmental commission is to convene in September. Our prime minister is set to attend the meeting of the SCO heads of government in Pakistan in October. I will really appreciate it if you find time to meet with him. At this meeting we could finalise our action plan going forward. You and I could approve this plan — the roadmap — during my visit to Pakistan before the end of this year,” the President offered. 

• The President of Belarus met with Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

• President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
• The Belarusian leader and President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh had talks on the go. 

• There were a lot of assumptions about Aleksandr Lukashenko’s negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. All speculation was dispelled by the Pul Pervogo Telegram channel, “The Presidents of Belarus and Russia had a detailed conversation on July 3rd, which continued on July 4th. The busy Astana agenda did not prevent, and the leaders talked five times during the day. We advise everyone not to worry — Lukashenko and Putin remain in constant contact.”

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by