Opinions & Interviews

MOSCOW, 4 June (BelTA) – Belarus is interested in further expansion and invigoration of interaction with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BelTA learned from Belarusian First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Mikhnevich during the high-level conference held in Moscow on 4 June to discuss security and stability in the region of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

According to the press service of the Embassy of Belarus in Russia, Alexander Mikhnevich mentioned Belarus’ important geographical position between the European Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He said the location comes with special responsibility regarding the counteraction of terrorism, extremism, drugs trafficking, and other manifestations detrimental to the human civilization. The potential for Belarus’ interaction with partners in working out measures of complex response to traditional and new challenges and threats was emphasized.

The Belarusian First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs said Belarus was ready for tighter and more productive cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states as well as with the countries that enjoy the observer status and the dialogue partner status in the organization in the sphere of fighting against cyber threats and the snowballing increase in consumption of new psychoactive substances. The official also mentioned that a delegation of the regional antiterrorism body of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is expected to visit Minsk in September-October.

Apart from that, Alexander Mikhnevich made it clear that Belarus is resolute to continue working hard to help settle the situation in Ukraine.

Belarus had been invited to take part in the conference by Russia, which presides in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a country with the dialogue partner status.

During the forum the SCO member states and countries with the observer status and the dialogue partner status exchanged views about the current situation in the region with regard to security and stability, about the urgent measures that can be and should be adopted at the national and multilateral levels for the sake of achieving this goal.

At the end of the conference a joint statement was adopted, in which the participants expressed their adherence to constructive interaction with all the interested states and international organizations with a view to stepping up collective efforts meant to counteract traditional and new challenges and threats to security.