Top Russian diplomat to meet with Belarusian counterpart in Brest

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will participate in a regular joint meeting of Russian and Belarusian foreign ministries collegiums, to be held in the city of Brest on the western border of Belarus, where he arrived on Thursday night.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Lavrov plans to meet with his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov to exchange opinions on key issues of Russian-Belarusian cooperation and the international agenda, as well as on foreign policy coordination at international platforms.

Special attention will be paid to diplomatic support for integration processes within the framework of the Union State, including preparations for a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in early December 2024,

Lavrov is also scheduled to visit the Brest Hero Fortress memorial complex and lay flowers at a monument to its defenders.

Resisting West’s aggression
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier described Western sanctions against his country as "pure fascism." Unfriendly countries continue to impose sanctions on Russia as well. In this regard, the top diplomats of Russia and Belarus are expected to discuss "joint efforts to counter the judicial, legal and sanctions aggression of the collective West."

The ministers are expected to sign a bilateral declaration on enhancing the role of international law and on guiding principles for interpreting unilateral coercive measures as illegal methods and using countermeasures to mitigate and compensate for the negative consequences of such measures.

Following the meeting, the parties will adopt the relevant resolution and approve a plan of consultations between foreign ministries for 2025, Zakharova added.

Shared view of multi-polarity
Besides, the ministers will also focus on strengthening coordination to promote cooperation with the Global Majority countries (the Global South and East) in multilateral formats, predominantly the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS.

Their approaches are likely to be reflected in a joint statement on their shared perception of the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century.

The subject will be particularly relevant, provided that Belarus was officially granted the BRICS partner status in early November. On November 5, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a formal letter saying that his country was ready to join BRICS activities in its new status.

After the 16th BRICS Summit in Russia’s Volga area city of Kazan, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the group had agreed on a list of its partner countries, though its contents was not disclosed. At the initial stage, invitations would be extended to these nations, and announcements would be made once a positive response is received.