PM on how Belarus can contribute to SCO
At the 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, which is taking place today, October 16th, in Islamabad, Belarus’ Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko explained in detail how the republic can be useful to SCO
In particular, the Prime Minister said, “Being representatives of the European region, we are able and ready to organically complement co-operation within SCO in the fields of the economy and security, using our transit, industrial and scientific potential, experience in peacekeeping and multilateral diplomacy.”
Mr. Golovchenko stressed that Belarus has well-developed agriculture, food industry and agricultural science. The country produces agricultural machinery, and it is one of the leading producers of fertilisers. “These aspects create grounds for successful co-operation in the field of food security,” he added.
The Prime Minister said that the republic has experience and developments in the IT sector, science, industry, and energy. He expressed confidence that the use of the Belarusian potential in these areas will result in good synergy.
“Important transport corridors from Asia to Europe run through Belarus within the framework of the Belt and Road project. The country participates in the development of the North-South international transport corridor and the Northern Sea Route, and it is ready to promote the issue of transport and logistics in every possible way," Mr. Golovchenko noted, when speaking of Belarus’ advantages of joining the SCO family.
According to the Prime Minister, the list of possible areas of effective co-operation could further be expanded. “We joined SCO at a time when there was a need for its comprehensive modernisation in relation to modern geopolitical realities. This is due to the growing number of members of the SCO family and the importance of ensuring its effective work. We are ready to participate in improving the statutory documents and regulations, the structure and forms of work of the secretariat and the SCO regional anti-terrorist structure," he explained. “We support the holding of events in the SCO+ format, tested within the framework of Kazakhstan's chairmanship, as well as the wider involvement of the SCO partners in the work of the organisation.”
Mr. Golovchenko expressed the opinion that SCO – created mainly as a platform for co-operation in the field of security and development of political dialogue – has accumulated sufficient experience, and its contractual and legal base will help seriously progress in practical areas, including the economic one.
Belarus has been a SCO dialogue partner since 2010, and it has the status of an observer since 2015. In 2024, the country has become a SCO member: the accession procedure was completed at the Astana summit on July 4th.
The republic’s interest in the SCO full membership is clear: during speeches at SCO summits, Head of State Aleksandr Lukashenko focused on the organisation's potential in stimulating trade and economic co-operation through industrial and technological liaisons, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, green economy, and so on. Belarus is interested in the development of the SCO common transport space, international road transportation, as well as in the co-ordinated development of highways and rail transport.
Moreover, Belarus views the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation as an important international platform for working out specific mechanisms for developing co-operation in countering the threats of terrorism, extremism and organised crime, and it advocates strengthening the economic dimension of SCO as the most important factor of stability in the Eurasian region.
