In July 2024, the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR) officially joined the SCO Forum as a National Research Center. In this capacity, accompanied by inspiration and attitude, we are preparing to participate in the 20th anniversary Forum Meeting to be held in New Delhi on 21–22 May 2025.
It should be noted that the history of the BIS's interaction with the expert community in the SCO region has been shaping up almost since the establishment of our institute (2019).
In 2019-2022, communication was implemented both on a bilateral basis with the National Research Centers of the member states and expert and analytical structures of the observer states and dialogue partners, as well as at the SCO Forum. In addition, BISR analysts regularly participate in the annual SCO RATS research conferences in Tashkent.
BISR partners from the SCO region (Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan) actively participated in the Minsk International Conferences on Eurasian Security in 2023 and 2024, as well as in the January 2025 presidential elections as international observers. In turn, BISR analysts participated in election observation in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This format fosters a climate of mutual trust, which is essential for jointly generating innovative ideas and meanings aimed at shaping an attractive vision for the SCO’s future.
As part of the Indian chairmanship’s action plan for the Organisation, a BISR delegation led by Director Oleg Makarov participated in February 2023 in the SCO Think Tank Conference themed “Reconnection – Rejuvenation,” excellently organised in New Delhi by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). On the sidelines of this event, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between BISR and ICWA.
Another key outcome of this event was the SCO Deputy Secretary-General Grigory Logvinov's visit to BISR in April 2023 in the course of his working trip to Minsk.
In January 2025, BISR was also attended by SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, who headed the mission of international observers for the presidential election in Belarus.
By decision of the BISR Director, the SCO and BRICS Research Centre (hereinafter – the Centre) was established in July 2024. As outlined in the Strategy for the Participation of the Republic of Belarus in the SCO activities recently approved by the President of Belarus, the Centre is tasked with coordinating expert-analytical and scientific activities conducted by specialised research institutes on the full spectrum of issues related to Belarus’s national interests within the SCO, including key aspects of domestic and foreign policy, economics, and humanitarian cooperation.
The Centre also acts as the working body (secretariat) of the National Research Center and directly interacts with the SCO Forum.
In our opinion, a landmark project in 2025 under the auspices of the SCO and BRICS Research Center was a series of thematic lectures by ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the SCO member states accredited in Belarus, which was opened by an official representative of China in April.
By the decision of the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the SCO Member States (CHG, Islamabad, 16.10.2024), BISR became a Permanent member of the Consortium of SCO Economic Analytical Centers. In close cooperation with the Russian chairmanship of the Consortium, we are working on the preparation of an annual analytical report for the 24th meeting of the SCO General Assembly, which will be held this autumn in Moscow. The topic of the report is "Priority areas for increasing trade and industrial cooperation in the SCO region, taking into account the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the Member States.“
Guided by the SCO Forum Regulations, in order to ensure high-quality coordination of cooperation on SCO issues among the scientific community, leading research, educational and expert centers, government agencies and civil society institutions, as well as the formation of common principles and approaches to scientific, methodological and expert-analytical support for the process of participation of the Republic of Belarus in the Organization, the issue of forming the Public Scientific and Expert Council on SCO issues at BISR as the National Research Center is elaborated.
In addition to the SCO Forum, within the framework of this consultative and advisory body, it is also planned to centrally coordinate research work through the Consortium of SCO Economic Analytical Centers.
Our Institute is also actively involved in the elaboration of the SCO conceptual documents. Through the National Coordinator for SCO affairs under the MFA of Belarus, BISR has submitted proposals for drafts Islamabad Communiqué following the 23rd CHG Meeting, the SCO Development Strategy 2025–2035, and the Tianjin Declaration of the upcoming SCO Summit in China.
Adhering to a proactive position and a practice-oriented approach, the BISR has formed its original view on ways and measures for further development and improvement of the SCO Forum mechanism, which will be announced during the meeting
and, hopefully, taken into account in the final minutes.
We sincerely thank our esteemed partners and friends from the SCO Study Centre at the Indian Council of World Affairs, the current Forum chair, and its head Dr. Atar Zafar personally, for continued support of our aspirations toward full-fledged participation in this important expert-consultative platform, and for the kind invitation to attend the anniversary 20th Meeting.
We fully share the philosophy of the idea “The whole World is One Family”, included by the organizers in the slogan of the Forum Meeting. We believe that this phrase from Maha Upanishad, the sacred Sanskrit text, a fundamental principle of Indian strategic culture, fully and most accurately reflects the spirit and letter of cooperation in the vast SCO space.