5 July 2024
Lukashenko’s working visit to Kazakhstan over
In Kazakhstan’s capital Aleksandr Lukashenko took part in a session of the council of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states. The leaders of the countries decided in favor of completing the procedure for Belarus’ accession to the organization as a full member. This is how the Shanghai G9 became the Shanghai G10.
Aleksandr Lukashenko called it impactful and symbolic that Belarus joined the SCO in the year when it marks the 80th anniversary of liberation from Nazi invaders. “It is an excellent gift to the Belarusian people,” the head of state stated.
“Belarus is very proud of becoming a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. And we will bolster the Shanghai spirit of the organization based on principles of mutual respect, equality, and solidarity,” the Belarusian leader assured.
At the summit he talked about the concrete areas, to which Belarus intends to pay more attention as a full member. Those are primarily matters of international security, economy, food security, international positioning of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and mutual enrichment of cultures.
The SCO leaders passed the Astana declaration and about 20 decisions on promoting cooperation in various fields as well as decisions concerning matters directly relating to the organization’s operation.
After that Aleksandr Lukashenko took part in an SCO+ meeting. This forum gathered not only SCO heads of state, including Belarus’, but also leaders of observer states, distinguished guests and heads of international organizations. The meeting focused on “Strengthening multilateral dialogue - the pursuit of sustainable peace and development.”
“I am deeply convinced that our unity and cohesion will be the best response to challenges in global politics. With this in mind we must join forces in the organization’s area of responsibility. This approach requires creating Greater Eurasia,” the Belarusian leader said. He outlined several steps in this direction.
In particular, the head of state suggested developing a concept for the Eurasian Charter for Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century. This idea was born as a result of the international conference that took place in Minsk in October 2023. The head of state also stressed the importance of interlinking various integration processes, stepping up cooperation in finance, in digital technologies, and a number of other fields.
“Only our organization has two most powerful countries in its ranks – China and the Russian Federation. And we are still in awe of the U.S. dollar. Well, let’s finally take certain steps in order to reduce dependence on the dollar. And you will see that those who have weaponized this currency will come to understand that things can no longer go on like this. We see all of it but we don’t take action. While people are waiting,” the Belarusian leader noted.
On the sidelines of the summit the president held negotiations with the China president, the Türkiye president, the prime minister of Pakistan, and the secretary general of the United Nations Organization. On the whole, he had multiple various international contacts. For instance, Aleksandr Lukashenko and the Russian leader Vladimir Putin discussed various matters at length and repeatedly at an informal dinner the day before and on the main day of the summit.
