President of Belarus holds number of bilateral talks in Uzbekistan

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko is paying a working visit to Uzbekistan. The Belarusian head of state will participate in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Almost immediately after leaving the airport, Alexander Lukashenko held a series of bilateral meetings, including with the host of the summit: President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan: I am very pleased that you responded and came to a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. I am also grateful to your colleagues who supported us. Out of 80 events, 50-60 were of the highest level. More than 40 documents were prepared. We had a long talk with Mr. Xi Jinping today."

The agenda includes bilateral issues and the development of cooperation in key areas. Thus, last year the trade turnover between Belarus and Uzbekistan slightly increased and exceeded $300 million. This year, the positive trade dynamics remains. The meeting of the two presidents was held behind closed doors.

The series of meetings continued with the SCO Secretary-General. Belarus has applied for membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a full member. Now Minsk is an observer in the SCO. It is possible that our application will be considered in Samarkand.

Lukashenko: “The SCO is viewed as a future, a very influential pole: we began cooperating with the SCO 12 years ago. At that time, the SCO was still a young organization, just trying to integrate into the world order. Nowadays, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is regarded as a future, a very influential pole.”

As we speak, Alexander Lukashenko is meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan. There is a number of other international meetings on the agenda, including participation in informal events. The main day of the summit is scheduled for tomorrow. The Belarusian leader is expected to address an extended session of the SCO heads of state. Alexander Lukashenka will speak about the priorities of Belarus's engagement in the SCO format.