Photo: AFP/Xinhua/Liu Bin
Eurasia
05/12/2023 14:10
“China is willing to continue strengthening strategic coordination with Belarus, support each other resolutely, promote pragmatic cooperation, and continue deepening our bilateral relations,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
Lukashenko arrived in China’s capital on Sunday for a two-day visit, aiming to discuss “trade, economic, investment and international cooperation” with its major partner in Asia.
The trip comes amid Western criticism about Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s war with Ukraine and Western scepticism about China’s role in the conflict. According to the state-owned Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Lukashenko told Xi Belarus was “a reliable partner” and would “remain so”
Lukashenko also lauded Xi’s “concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind”. “Unlike Western countries that are trying to tear everything apart, you have set the single goal for all,” he said.
On April 3-4 of this year, Samarkand will host the first-ever high-level meeting between the European Union and the Central Asian countries. This landmark event will open a new chapter in relations between the regions, marking a transition to a qualitatively new level of multilateral cooperation. The very fact of organizing such a dialogue highlights the EU's strong interest in developing cooperation and its commitment to strengthening partnerships with the Central Asian states.
On 31 March, the city of Khujand, Tajikistan, hosted a trilateral summit attended by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, and President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan. This momentous occasion marked the culmination of the border delimitation process among the three nations, a pivotal milestone in Central Asian geopolitics.
The latest issue of Eurasia focuses on agriculture. We conducted an interview with István Nagy, the Hungarian Minister of Agriculture, and report on the latest innovations in Asian agriculture.