On 14 February, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Vladimir Norov met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
During the meeting, the SCO Secretary-General praised Belarus's activities as an observer state at the SCO. Vladimir Norov said the business initiatives of the country's leaders to intensify cooperation within the SCO were among the important incentives that led to the May 2019 adoption of the Roadmap for developing interaction with observer states and dialogue partners. He noted that the document offered these countries great opportunities to participate in SCO ministerial and expert meetings, including with a view to developing trade and economic cooperation.
Vladimir Norov pointed out the significant potential of Belarus in assisting the SCO member states in the field of security, in particular, by developing contacts through the anti-terrorism centre at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. He also highlighted the advantages of Belarus's integration into the transport and logistics chains formed in the SCO space, as well as the country's potential in the implementation of the Concept for Cooperation between the SCO Member States in the Sphere of Digitalisation and Information and Communication Technologies.
The Belarusian Foreign Minister confirmed Minsk's interest in building up comprehensive cooperation with the SCO. He noted the huge political, economic, cultural and civilisational capabilities of the SCO member states.
Vladimir Makei pointed out the significant transport potential of Belarus and stated that the Republic is ready to make a fair contribution to the SCO's activities aimed at achieving mutually beneficial results in the economic and trade sphere.
The meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere.