SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev took part in the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in the Republic of Belarus, an event opened by President Alexander Lukashenko.
Addressing the plenary session, the Secretary General observed that profound historical changes are creating new opportunities for national development and mutually beneficial cooperation while at the same time eroding the established system of international security. He warned that geopolitical and geo-economic confrontation, an accelerating arms race and international terrorism are intensifying, levels of mutual distrust are rising, and existing conflicts are worsening alongside the emergence of new crises.
In these conditions the SCO consistently advocates respect for the right of nations to make their own democratic choices regarding political and socio-economic development and rejects confrontational approaches to addressing international and regional issues. Such positions are central to the SCO’s approach to Eurasian Security and regional stability.
Yermekbayev outlined productive outcomes of the SCO summit held on 1 September in Tianjin and highlighted an initiative by Belarus and Russia to develop a Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity, which is currently under consideration by SCO member states. He also cited the Astana Declaration of SCO Leaders (2024), noting that the SCO, as part of an emerging network of partnerships across Eurasia including the CIS, ASEAN and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence‑Building Measures in Asia, can serve as a strong pillar in shaping a multipolar world order.
The Minsk conference gathered more than 500 delegates from 48 countries, including the foreign ministers of Belarus, Hungary, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Myanmar and Russia; deputy foreign ministers of Iran, India and Tajikistan; the heads of the executive bodies of the CIS, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence‑Building Measures in Asia and CSTO; and representatives of leading research, expert and academic centres.
As part of his visit to the Republic of Belarus, the SCO Secretary General toured the Great Stone Industry Park and gained an insight into its work.
Taken together, the discussions in Minsk advance the ongoing Eurasian Security dialogue and underscore the SCO’s emphasis on cooperation and multipolarity as tools to address rising tensions and systemic risks across the region.
