During 2025, the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research, under the auspices of the SCO and BRICS Research Center, will host a series of thematic lectures by ambassadors accredited in Belarus from the SCO Member States. After Belarus joined this organization in July 2024, BISR was given the status of its National Research Center. As part of this status, the Institute actively cooperates with the SCO Forum and its Consortium of Economic Analytical Centers. In order to implement the plans set in practice, on April 16, the Institute hosted a lecture by Zhang Wenchuan, Master of Law, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus.
BISR Director Oleg Makarov noted the deep symbolism of the fact that the series of lectures is opened by the official representative of China, presiding in the SCO in 2024-2025:
– There are analysts from the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research and young analysts: students, undergraduates, and graduate students from universities. We have invited experts of the region, those people who are directly involved in the topic of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Zhang Wenchuan, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus, Master of Law, began his lecture as follows:
– Since sincerity is the most important in relations between China and Belarus, I was happy to accept the invitation and am ready to share views on the SCO development. At the SCO Summit in Astana last July, China assumed the SCO presidency, and Belarus became a full member of the SCO. Thus, China's presidency in the SCO and the era of Belarus' membership in this organization started simultaneously. The Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research specially established the SCO and BRICS Research Center, which demonstrates the high importance that Belarus attaches to participation and cooperation within the SCO. The Chinese side highly appreciates this.
The theme of the event itself is also appropriate: “Achievements of the SCO and the importance of the “Shanghai spirit”, the main tasks of China’s presidency in 2025, the role of Belarus in the SCO, as well as cooperation between China and Belarus within the SCO.”
According to Oleg Makarov, the BISR expects that joint efforts within the framework of the above-mentioned initiative will make a significant contribution to increasing the dynamics of interaction between expert and analytical centers in the SCO space, and will also contribute to further strengthening the foundation of interstate cooperation between the member states, among which China occupies a special place.
It should be noted that the "Shanghai spirit" is a concept of international relations, based on which cooperation is implemented within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The concept of the "Shanghai spirit" was first used by Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 2001 at the SCO founding summit. The "Shanghai Spirit" assumes that countries that share this concept will adhere to trusting relationships and the spirit of mutually beneficial cooperation, proceed from the principle of equality regardless of the size of territory, level of prosperity and state power, recognize the diversity of cultures and civilizations in the modern world, respect the independent choice of each people of their social system and development model, strive for common prosperity to reduce disproportions and solve the problem of social stratification.
Source: Belarus Today