What significant events marked year 2024
The political pool has been living literally out of suitcases in recent months. The busy international agenda fell at the end of the year - there were visits of our President to Russia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, a little earlier to Mongolia and also Uzbekistan. 2024 is full of significant events: Belarus became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and an official partner in another global association - BRICS. All this is the result of Minsk's work on the foreign policy contour and a sign of the times - the world is becoming multipolar.
We will sum up the results of the political year with Natalia Breus. She was both on business trips and in the thick of things all this time.
Expert circles are already saying that 2025 could be an important year for the planet. Such a turning point that will largely determine how the world will live on.
And in this light, Guterres' words that the coming year could be the hottest in human history are filled with more than just climate meaning. But first, what do we have? For us, the year will begin with the presidential elections and then there will be an "electoral respite". After all, if you remember, 2024 also started with elections: a single voting day became an important moment of political modernization.
"We are not moving very fast. Today, only 27 import-substituting projects are being implemented. For the united market of Belarus and Russia, the volume of which is estimated at $2 trillion in total GDP, this figure should be, I think, hundreds of times larger," Alexander Lukashenko said in December 2024 at a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State.
Another significant step in the union construction was the formation of a united electricity market. "For the functioning of an equal and fair economic environment, we expect the earliest possible launch of united markets for gas, oil and oil products. We have launched work in these areas," the President said.
But no matter what goals Belarus and Russia pursue when building the Union State, its main target audience is their citizens, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized.
"Those who believe in us, trust us, count on an attentive response to their needs and requirements. Therefore, a special topic is ensuring equal rights for citizens of Belarus and Russia," the head of state noted.
The most high-profile news of the meeting is the deployment of the sensational "Oreshnik" in Belarus, which will cool "hot heads" and strengthen security.
Speaking about the updated nuclear doctrine of Russia during the final direct line of 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted: "We announced that if threats are created for our ally, a member of the Union State, for Belarus, then the Russian Federation will consider this in the same way as the creation of similar threats for Russia itself. And we will do everything to ensure the security of Belarus. We are doing this in agreement with the Belarusian leadership, in agreement with the President of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. And I think that this is a very important component of the updated nuclear strategy of the Russian Federation."
In Astana in July 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on Belarus receiving a new status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (at the summit in Astana, the republic was accepted into the SCO as a full member).
"Yesterday, your country celebrated Independence Day, and today your country became a full member of the SCO. "I warmly congratulate you," said the PRC Chairman.
He recalled that last year the President of Belarus visited China twice. During the talks, the parties outlined plans for the development of an all-weather and strategic partnership. Close contacts are maintained at all levels.
"We will definitely promote the further stable development of our relations," said Xi Jinping. At the same time, the Chinese leader added, the parties intend to move in this direction by leaps and bounds.
Two significant moments of the year. Belarus became a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and a BRICS partner. Given the geography of the participating countries, observers, population and total area of the states, a serious alternative to the West is emerging.
The head of state said in an interview that the collective West has launched a rabid fight to downgrade the status of BRICS.
"Some announced their accession to BRICS, and then took a break. This, among other things, indicates that a rabid campaign has been launched against BRICS. The United States of America, the collective West (that's what they call themselves) have launched a fight to lower the status of BRICS. We know the examples. There is pressure. I won't name these countries, because this is classified information. They may say that this is not so. But we know, - said Alexander Lukashenko. - Moreover, these are countries with which Russia and we have good relations. That is, there is pressure: "If you are in BRICS, then we are with you.