MINSK, 31 August (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko shared his vision of the role Belarus plays in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in an interview with Xinhua News Agency, BelTA has learned.
First and foremost, the head of state emphasized that the SCO is an organization focused on the future. According to him, in the context of the transition to a just multipolar world order, the unity of views among the association's participants and their ability to make coordinated decisions are of particular value. Belarus saw this potential from the start and it paid off, Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
“Over the past 20-plus years, the SCO has formed a unique model of regional security and development based on multilateral cooperation. The organization has proven that security issues can be resolved not through confrontation, but through joint measures,” the president said.
Among such measures he named exchanging intelligence data, conducting exercises, and building trust between states. “Thanks to this, it has been possible to prevent hundreds of terrorist attacks and create a system that stabilizes Eurasia,” the Belarusian leader noted.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, among the most notable achievements are the signing of several key conventions, the establishment of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), the development of a database on threats, and the execution of hundreds of joint operations. Exercises are systematically organized, and work in the areas of border control and combating transnational crime is coordinated. After 2020, the SCO added new critical areas of cooperation: cybersecurity, biosecurity, and public health protection.
“It can be said that the SCO is confidently becoming a diplomatic player on a global level. The organization offers a new approach to international relations, distinct from Western models of hegemony. The “Shanghai Spirit” ensures equal cooperation and the search for compromises,” the Belarusian leader said. “The SCO integrates the Belt and Road Initiative, shapes the principles of digital governance, and creates dialogue platforms for developing countries.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that Belarus has actively engaged in the work of the SCO's security mechanisms, including its counterterrorism bodies. He also noted that Belarus has invited SCO countries to join the work on the Eurasian Charter for Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century.
“Belarus, possessing a developed border control system and modern means of cyber protection, is ready to offer its partners an exchange of technology and joint exercises on protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks,” the head of state said.
According to him, no less significant in the SCO's activities is the economic component. “I would even say it should play a key role. To achieve this, we must create effective mechanisms for mutual settlements in national currencies and develop investment infrastructure and logistics.”
The Belarusian leader said that humanitarian and cultural cooperation is gaining increasing importance. Countries are interacting in education, justice, and social protection, thereby developing the “Shanghai Spirit” of mutual respect. The president acknowledged the immense and critically important work of China in promoting the concept of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind, which is interwoven with the Shanghai cooperation agenda.
“With Belarus' accession to the SCO, the number of its member states has increased to ten, which, without false modesty, has of course strengthened the organization's influence in the Eurasian space. Moreover, our country has become a connecting link in economic projects, as new routes to Europe open up through us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Speaking about what Belarus can offer SCO member states, the president named supplies of Belarusian products. The matter pertains to a wide range of goods, from high-tech agricultural machinery to organic food products and potash fertilizers, where Belarus holds one of the leading positions in the world).
“Belarusian expertise in machine building, food production, as well as established technologies for the deep processing of various raw materials can form the basis for new joint industrial clusters within the SCO,” Aleksandr Lukashenko is confident.
According to the president, Belarus actively participates in people's diplomacy forums and supports various formats of cooperation between scientific organizations and cultural centers: “The SCO University, youth camps and exchange programs, digital education, and projects in the fields of ecology and artificial intelligence - all of this is forming a robust network of humanitarian ties.”
Belarusian universities are successfully implementing partnership projects with universities from countries of the “Shanghai family”, including in the fields of ICT, engineering, and biological sciences. The network of Belarusian cultural and research centers in SCO member states is expanding rapidly. “They not only promote the Belarusian language and culture but also encourage bilateral and multilateral academic research,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Belarus attaches great importance to the development of youth interaction, he said. “Youth exchange programs remain a priority: participation in forums, competitions, international camps, and projects involving volunteering and technological partnership,” the head of state said.
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