Lukashenko on importance of Belarus’ membership in SCO: not only in terms of image and politics
President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has held a meeting today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Welcoming the top Russian diplomat, the President noted that there are always many issues he would like to discuss and consult on certain problems.
Meanwhile, first of all, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted the good work of the foreign ministries of Belarus and Russia, “I have always said that our foreign ministries can be an example for other departments in working on our Union State track. Therefore, I’m grateful to you for this. However, I’m especially grateful for the work that you and the Russian leadership have done to make Belarus a member of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation and to ensure our country’s full participation in this organisation. We really hope this will happen in Astana [at the SCO summit in early July]. We’ve fulfilled all our obligations and there are currently no problems with Belarus joining the SCO. This is very crucial for Belarus. You must agree that it is very important for us to be present at such a specific international platform, where leading heads and leaders of world powers are present, not only from the point of view of image and politics, but also from the point of view of economics. There is an opportunity to discuss any issues at any time.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that he had always been able to talk to any of the SCO leaders before and receive both answers and support on various issues, “Now we’ll participate in making all decisions that belong to the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation by status.”
