
MOSCOW, 17 March (BelTA) – Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko called on the CIS, SCO, EAEU and BRICS to respond jointly to a new round of military-political confrontation in the world as he addressed the international economic forum "Dialogue of Integrations: CIS, EAEU, SCO, BRICS" in Moscow on 17 March, BelTA has learned.
"It is important that we jointly respond to a new round of hybrid military-political confrontation in the world, protectionism and de-globalization, to develop measures to jointly counter unfriendly initiatives in international organizations," Igor Petrishenko said.
He stated that the forum is taking place at a time of large-scale transformations, the search for new ways of development. "The successes of a number of countries achieved over the past decades, their sovereign desire to determine their own path have become a serious irritating factor for those who have taken on the role of world hegemon. For the sake of preserving its global leadership, the West will stop at nothing, complete disregarding the international law. The most striking example is the massive arbitrary use of unilateral restrictive measures against those who disagree and who dissent," the deputy prime minister said.
According to him, rivalry in geopolitics has already corroded the international security system to the dangerous level. Thhe existing regional conflicts and crises including those with global consequences are aggravating and new ones emerge. "Simultaneously, the de-globalization of the world economy continues; the severance of trade, economic and logistics ties is becoming increasingly widespread," Igor Petrishenko said. “High inflation has already affected real incomes and all regions of the world without exception are facing a cost of living crisis. Increased technological competition between countries, reduced investment flows, increased protectionism in international trade exacerbate instability and uncertainty in the global economy, which has not yet recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Transformation of the geopolitical order is inevitable. Belarus believes that in the new realities it is necessary not only to fight for survival, but also to look for new opportunities. Time itself pushes us to rethink priorities, open new horizons and niches for interaction in the international arena. This is why the topic of our meeting ‘Dialogue of integrations of the CIS, EAEU, SCO, BRICS', although not new, sounds more relevant than ever," Igor Petrishenko emphasized.
He recalled that Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko had repeatedly called to align various integration formats and put forward the initiative for the integration of integrations. "We are convinced that promoting mutual ties between the SCO, BRICS, the CIS, the EAEU and, of course, the Union State will help successfully overcome the challenges and ensure a more intensive development of the member states of these associations. Currently, there is a good foundation for such an alignment, Igor Petrishenko is convinced. “It is advisable to use the strengths and accumulated experience of each integration association. We must speak with a single voice in international organizations to prevent the introduction of measures restricting trade and investment cooperation."
"I am convinced that by joint efforts we will be able to advance integration ties between our states and associations and contribute towards a fair and multipolar world order based on the universally recognized principles of international law, mutually beneficial and equal cooperation," Igor Petrishenko summed up.