Lukashenko completed his working visit to Kazakhstan
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has concluded his working visit to Kazakhstan, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
In the capital of Kazakhstan, Alexander Lukashenko participated in a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states. The leaders of the countries decided to complete the procedure for Belarus's accession to the organisation as a full member. Thus, the "Shanghai Nine" became the "Shanghai Ten" at the summit.
Alexander Lukashenko called the fact that the year of accession to the SCO coincided with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders indicative and symbolic. "This is a wonderful gift to the Belarusian people," stated the head of state.
"Belarus is very proud to have become a full member of the SCO. And we will strengthen the Shanghai spirit of the organisation, based on the principles of mutual respect, equality, and solidarity," assured the Belarusian leader.
At the summit, he outlined specific areas that Belarus, as a full member, intends to focus on. These primarily include issues of international security, economy, food security, the international positioning of the SCO, and the mutual enrichment of cultures.
The leaders of the countries adopted the Astana Declaration and about two dozen decisions on developing cooperation in various fields, as well as on issues directly related to the organization's activities.
Then, Alexander Lukashenko participated in a meeting in the "SCO plus" format. This forum included not only the heads of state members of the SCO, including Belarus, but also the leaders of observer states, distinguished guests, and heads of international organizations. The theme of the meeting was "Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue – Striving for Sustainable Peace and Development."
"I am deeply convinced that our unity and cohesion will be the best response to the challenges in global politics. To achieve this, we must consolidate within the space that is the zone of responsibility of the organization. It is precisely this approach that dictates the need to create Greater Eurasia," stated the Belarusian leader, outlining several steps in this direction.
In particular, he called on partners to actively engage in the development and coordination of the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century. This idea emerged from the results of an international conference held in Minsk in October last year. The head of state also emphasized the importance of synergizing various integration processes and strengthening cooperation in the financial sphere, in the field of digital technologies, and in several other areas.
"Our organization alone hosts two most powerful leaders – China and the Russian Federation. And we all tremble before this dollar. Well, let's finally take concrete steps to depend less on this dollar. And you will see: frightened, those who manipulate the dollar as a club will understand that it cannot continue like this. We all see this, but we don't act. And people are waiting," urged the Belarusian leader.
On the sidelines of the summit, the President held a series of negotiations: with the Chairman of the PRC, the President of Turkey, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the UN Secretary-General. In general, there were many different international contacts. For example, with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin, various issues were discussed thoroughly and repeatedly, both on the eve during informal dinner and on the main day of the summit.
Source: belta