MINSK, 16 April (BelTA) - China will host the SCO summit in Tianjin in the autumn and it will be a key event of China's presidency of the organization, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Zhang Wenchuan said as he answered a question from BelTA before a thematic lecture on cooperation in the SCO at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research (BISR).
“I am very pleased to have this opportunity to exchange views on the development of the SCO with my colleagues from the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research, the country's leading think tank and authoritative institute on the matters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Its many experts engaged in the study of international and regional matters actively cooperate with their Chinese colleagues and have achieved positive results. Today my Belarusian friends and I will discuss such topics as the history of the SCO development, the successes achieved, the essence of the ‘Shanghai spirit’, the importance of Belarus' accession to the SCO and cooperation between China and Belarus within the framework of the organization. I will also be happy to listen to the proposals on the SCO development,” the diplomat emphasized.
He also pointed out that last year, during the SCO summit in Astana, China took over the presidency of the organization and Belarus became a member state of the SCO.
“China is actively promoting the work within the framework of its presidency. This autumn, China will host the SCO summit in Tianjin and it will be a key event of China's presidency. I am confident that with the support of all member states, including Belarus, the summit will be a success,” the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China emphasized.
This year the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research launched a series of thematic lectures by the ambassadors of the SCO member states accredited in Belarus under the auspices of the SCO and BRICS Research Center. After our country's accession to the organization in July 2024, the BISR has been granted the status of a national research center of the SCO. Within the framework of this status BISR actively cooperates with the forum of SCO think tanks. With a view to practical implementation of the plans, on 16 April, the BISR hosted a lecture by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Zhang Wenchuan.
BISR Director Oleg Makarov said that it was deeply symbolic that the lecture series was opened by the official representative of China, the current chairmanship of the SCO in 2024-2025. He noted that it is important that the event was attended by analysts of the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Research and also undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students.
