15 January 2025, 20:59

Belarus' participation in SCO, BRICS. What's in strategies approved by Lukashenko

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko approved the strategies for Belarus' participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS. Belarus has high expectations from cooperation within these associations. Belarus became a full member of the 'SCO family' in the summer of 2024, and later was among the first to formalize the status of a BRICS partner state. It is noteworthy that this year Belarus also chairs the Eurasian Economic Union. The priorities of the Belarusian chairmanship were announced on the first day of 2025. This is important given an increasing number of global challenges and attempts to impose new sanctions.

Together, these platforms offer a wide range of new tools and opportunities for promoting international cooperation and strengthening Belarus' position on the international arena. Therefore, it is crucial to clearly define goals and objectives for the foreseeable future, while consistently pursuing national interests. Both strategies approved by the president are designed for a span of five years until 2030. In the future, they can be extended, updated and revised taking into account current trends.

Goals and objectives in the SCO

"Belarus views the SCO as a regional organization that focuses on building a multipolar, fair, stable world order based on the generally recognized principles of international law, that has high potential for ramping up mutually beneficial trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as cultural and humanitarian interaction," the document reads.

The strategy defines conceptual areas of activity, goals and objectives of Belarus' participation in the SCO and mechanisms for their implementation in the near and medium term.

Belarus' participation in the SCO seeks to further the country's foreign policy and foreign economic interests.

The Strategy defines the main objectives of Belarus' participation in the SCO as follows:

- defending Belarus' national interests at the multilateral level;

- creating favorable external conditions for safeguarding the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security of the Republic of Belarus;

- promoting sustainable development of the Republic of Belarus in the political, economic, social, cultural and other areas;

- stimulating comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions based on equal partnership with a view to consistently improving the living conditions of the peoples of the SCO member states.

The document also lists the priority tasks aimed at achieving these goals in the SCO:
- Enhancing the international standing of the Republic ofBelarus as a peace-loving state and an active participant in international cooperation;

- promoting in international organizations of the coordinated approaches of the SCO member states, observers and dialogue partners on the major matters of international politics;

- creating an indivisible security space, jointly countering traditional and new challenges and threats to the security of participating states, including extremism, terrorism and separatism in all manifestations, illicit trafficking in drugs and weapons, other transnational crime, illegal migration, challenges in cyberspace and in the field of disaster management;
- deepening practical trade and economic, financial and investment cooperation, and joint project activities within the SCO;

- expanding cultural and humanitarian cooperation, including in science, engineering and technology, education, healthcare, sport, environmental protection, and developing inter-human ties.

ON COOPERATION IN BRICS

“In the current geopolitical conditions, BRICS is an authoritative international platform that unites the global majority in its efforts to form true multipolarity, equality and inclusiveness in international relations, and search for effective ways to solve pressing problems,” the Strategy notes.

Following the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan in October 2024, the BRICS Partnership format was established and the criteria of a partner country were adopted. Belarus formalized the status of a BRICS partner country on the basis of the invitation received.

According to the document, the goal of Belarus' participation in BRICS activities is to actively engage in the work of the existing multilateral mechanisms of the Group, taking into account the further institutional development of BRICS. Interaction at the current stage is supposed to be carried out taking into account the opportunities provided by the status of a partner state, while maintaining the ultimate goal of obtaining full membership in the Group.

The priority areas of cooperation between Belarus and the BRICS member and partner states include:

- Political and security cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect, indivisible security, guarantees of country development without confrontation;

- sustainable economic development aimed at preserving and multiplying human potential, ensuring high social standards and decent quality of life, introducing innovations and the latest technologies;

- ensuring global food security, fighting hunger, poverty and the consequences of climate change;

- expanding multilateral humanitarian cooperation.