MINSK. March 1 (Interfax) - Belarus supports China's global security and development initiatives, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday.
"Today's meeting is being held at a very difficult time that requires new non-standard approaches and responsible political decisions. They need to be aimed primarily at preventing a slide into global confrontation that will have no winners. That is exactly the reason why Belarus is actively making peace proposals, fully supporting your Global Security Initiative," Lukashenko was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency BelTA.
Xi's Development Initiative "also fully agrees with the Belarusian vision," the Belarusian president said. "We immediately joined the mechanisms to promote it, and we are ready for joint work and implementation of projects in Belarus," he said.
The Global Development Initiative to support developing countries through technical assistance projects financed by China was announced by Xi in September 2021 in his speech at the UN General Assembly. Beijing formed the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative, which currently comprises some 60 UN member states. Belarus was among the first countries to join the group.
The Global Security Initiative was put forward by the Chinese president at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia in April 2022. The initiative is based on firm defense of the authority and status of the UN, joint practice of a truly multilateral approach, coordination of efforts to eliminate security threats both in traditional and non-traditional areas, joint work to improve the global security management system, and ambition to create new regional security frameworks.