On November 21-22, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will make a working visit to Brest, Republic of Belarus, to attend the annual joint meeting of the foreign ministry collegiums of Russia and Belarus.
These meetings have been held every year since 2000 and are an effective mechanism for coordinating the two countries’ activities on the international stage.
The upcoming meeting will focus on strengthening coordination to promote cooperation with the Global Majority countries (the Global South and East) in multilateral formats, predominantly the SCO and BRICS, as well as joint efforts to counter the judicial, legal and sanctions aggression of the collective West. Following the meeting, the participants will adopt a resolution and approve a plan of consultations between foreign ministries for 2025. The ministers are expected to sign a joint statement on their shared perception of the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century, as well as the 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.
During his visit, Sergey Lavrov will meet with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov to exchange views on key issues of Russian-Belarusian cooperation and the international agenda, as well as on foreign policy coordination at international platforms. They will focus on 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, timed for the 25th anniversary of signing the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State in 1999.
The programme of the visit includes Sergey Lavrov’s meeting with Chair of the Brest Region Executive Committee Pyotr Parkhomchik and active students of local universities, as well as a trip to the Brest Hero Fortress memorial complex, where the minister will lay flowers at the Eternal Flame commemorating its defenders.
Belarus is Russia’s closest ally and strategic partner. Our countries are bonded by years-long traditions of friendship and mutual assistance, cultural and spiritual affinity, as well as shared historical past and perspectives for the future.
Relations between Russia and Belarus can justly be seen as an example of equitable and mutually beneficial interstate cooperation, and the level of interaction within the Union State as a guiding light for other integration associations in the post-Soviet state.
Moscow and Minsk sustain an intensive political dialogue at the highest and high levels. The Presidents of Russia and Belarus convened on nine occasions in 2024: during the Supreme State Council (SSC) meeting of the Union State on January 29 in St Petersburg, at the inauguration of the Games of the Future tournament on February 21 in Kazan, on April 11 and May 8 in Moscow, on May 24 in Minsk during Vladimir Putin’s official visit to Belarus, on July 3−4 in Astana on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of State meeting, on July 25−26 in Valaam, on October 9 in Moscow, and on October in 23−24 Kazan at the BRICS summit. The leaders engaged in telephonic discussions on ten occasions.
Specific domains of multifaceted bilateral cooperation are being developed through regular engagements between the prime ministers. In 2024, Mikhail Mishustin and Roman Golovchenko conducted discussions on January 29 in St Petersburg during the Union State SSC meeting, on April 15 in Moscow, on June 3−4 in Nesvizh (Minsk Region), on July 9 in Yekaterinburg at the Innoprom 2024 international industrial exhibition, on October 1 in Yerevan during the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meetings, and on November 5 within the framework of the 54th meeting of the Union State Council of Ministers in Minsk.
Interaction is maintained among the heads of parliamentary chambers, deputy prime ministers, security council secretaries, and heads of ministries and agencies.
On June 17, Minsk hosted the 66th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, presided over by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. The subsequent, 67th session is slated for December 12 in Moscow.
In June 26−28, Vitebsk, Polotsk, and Novopolotsk hosted the 11th Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions, under the theme The Role of Interregional Cooperation in Developing the Innovative Economy of the Union State, chaired by Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko and Speaker of the Council of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova.
Russia and Belarus collaborate effectively on a broad spectrum of objectives within the framework of union construction.
Joint programmes and projects in the realms of security, medicine, preservation of historical memory, scientific and technical research, and other areas are implemented annually, funded by the Union State’s budget (approximating 7 billion Russian rubles in 2024).
The status and prospects of union construction are deliberated at Union State SSC meetings (the latest on January 29 in St Petersburg, chaired by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko), the Union State Council of Ministers (November 5, chaired by Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin), and the High-Level Group of the Union State Council of Ministers (September 27 in Smolensk, co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Overchuk and Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus Dmitry Krutoi). The Working Group for the Implementation of the Provisions of the Treaty Establishing the Union State (co-chaired by Alexander Overchuk and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Snopkov) has been operational since 2019, preparing proposals for further integration.
The acceleration of integration processes was bolstered by the endorsement of a new suite of integration measures – Guidelines for Implementing the Provisions of the Treaty Establishing the Union State for 2024−2026 – at the Supreme State Council meeting in January this year. The document comprises 11 sections, addressing issues of macroeconomic policy, activities in the statistics of the common financial market, coordinated tax policy, and cooperation in the customs domain, common industrial, agricultural policy, functioning of the united energy markets and operation of nuclear energy facilities, united transport system, as well as the establishment of a common information space and collaboration in the cultural, humanitarian, research, technical, and social spheres. In execution of the document, the parties approved 31 sectoral action plans. As of the end of October this year, 51 out of 310 agreed integration measures, or 16.5%, had been implemented.
On June 6, a roundtable attended by deputy prime ministers and heads of a number of agencies and regions, “The Union State: 25 years of Integration – Results and New Tasks,” was held as part of SPIEF 2024.
Russia is the main investor in the Belarusian economy and the leading trade partner of Belarus. In 2023, our country accounted for 57.4 percent of the Republic’s foreign trade. In 2023, bilateral trade amounted to $46.5 billion, or 5.2 percent more than in 2022. With a share of 6.5 percent, Belarus ranked fourth in Russia’s trade with countries of the world, and first among CIS countries. Mutual trade grew by 6 percent to $32.5 billion between January and August of this year.
Faced with the collective West’s sanctions war, Russia and Belarus are taking joint steps to counteract unilateral restrictions and strengthen the Union State’s financial, economic and technological sovereignty. They also promote industrial cooperation and implement import-substitution programmes, including by launching joint investment projects.
Considerable headway has been made in forming a unified defence and security space of the Union State. Deployed in the Republic of Belarus, the joint Regional Force Grouping, advanced Russian defence systems, and tactical nuclear weapons reliably protect the western borders of the Union State and the CSTO, providing a counterbalance to neo-Nazi Ukraine and NATO force groupings billeted in neighbouring countries. Russia and Belarus are intensifying their military-technical cooperation, including industrial cooperation between plants belonging to the defence industrial complex. At its meeting scheduled for early December in Minsk, the Supreme State Council of the Union State is planning to approve the Security Concept of the Union State and sign a bilateral interstate agreement on security guarantees within the Union State.
Foreign policy interaction between Russia and Belarus is of systemic nature.
In 2024, Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergey Aleinik in St Petersburg on January 29 and in Minsk on April 12 on the sidelines of the CIS ministerial meeting. On June 24 and 25, Sergey Lavrov paid an official visit to Belarus, where he was received by President Alexander Lukashenko, had meetings with Speaker of the Council of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova and Speaker of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeenko, and held talks with Sergey Aleinik.
The first meeting between Sergey Lavrov and Maxim Ryzhenkov, who was appointed Foreign Minister of Belarus on June 27, took place in Astana on the sidelines of the SCO Summit on July 3 and 4, where Belarus joined the SCO as a full member. The ministers also met at the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly in September of this year, the CIS foreign ministers’ meeting in Moscow on October 7, the BRICS Summit (Kazan, October 23-24), and the second Minsk Conference on Eurasian Security (October 31).
Since 1996, Russia and Belarus have maintained coordinated foreign policy action programmes, which are regularly updated to reflect evolving priorities. Together, they advocate for shared interests on the global stage, adopt unified or aligned positions on nearly all international issues, closely coordinate their strategies, and provide mutual support across various multilateral platforms.
The current programme, covering the 2024-2026 three-year cycle, aligns with the primary framework for union integration, titled The Guidelines for Implementing the Provisions of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State for 2024-2026. Both documents were approved by the Supreme State Council of the Union State on January 29 in St Petersburg.
This programme reflects foreign policy priorities for Russia and Belarus in response to the hostile policy pursued by the collective West, prompting a significant pivot towards the friendly and neutral nations of the Global South and East. It highlights the importance of foreign policy and diplomatic support for integration initiatives within the Union State.
Under the programme, the foreign ministries of Russia and Belarus align their approaches and advance joint initiatives within Eurasian integration frameworks. They actively collaborate in international organisations, particularly the UN and OSCE, co-authoring resolutions and jointly opposing anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian initiatives. They support each other in promoting cooperation with constructive nations of the Global Majority and their regional associations, while also coordinating strategies for engaging with unfriendly nations and their institutions. The current programme places greater emphasis on humanitarian matters, focusing on fostering a shared scientific, educational, and cultural space within the Union State, patriotic upbringing and education of young people and the preservation of historical memory.
Since 2000, annual joint meetings of the collegiums of the Russian and Belarusian foreign ministries, along with inter-ministerial consultations involving deputy ministers and department heads, have served as effective mechanisms for aligning efforts on the global stage and coordinating cooperation in key areas.
Interregional ties are a significant factor of Russian-Belarusian relations. Over 80 regions of the Russian Federation engage in trade and economic cooperation with Belarus, operating under 226 agreements that are currently in effect between Russian regions and Belarus. In 2023-2024, as many as 44 new interregional cooperation agreements were signed between the two countries.
The dynamics of interregional contacts is on the rise. In 2023, 91 delegations from the Russian regions, of which 29 were led by regional heads, visited Belarus. In turn, 96 Belarusian delegations and 136 delegations from Belarusian business circles came to Russia as part of official visits.
From January to October, over 90 Russian delegations from about 50 regions visited Belarus, of which 27 were led by governors, 15 of whom were received by President Alexander Lukashenko. We welcome Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko’s successful practice of visiting Russian regions, with five trips to the Russian regions made since the beginning of this year.
The Forum of Russian and Belarusian Regions is an important platform for building a region-to-region dialogue. The forum has been held since 2014 and sponsored by the upper chambers of the respective parliaments. The 11th Forum took place on June 27-28 in the Vitebsk Region, Belarus, with about 2,000 participants. The Russian delegation comprised 731 members, including 25 Russian senators, 15 Russian Government officials, and representatives from 56 regions, including 14 regional heads. During the forum, 251 cooperation agreements across various sectors, including 30 interregional and about 25 municipal agreements, were signed. Contracts worth 30 billion Russian roubles were concluded. The next forum will be held in Nizhny Novgorod in June 2025.
Cultural and humanitarian ties are steadily expanding via direct contacts between educational, scientific, cultural, and sports institutions, as well as through interagency and interregional cooperation programmes.
Regular events include cultural days, tours by performing groups, and theatre and music festivals that are often funded from the Union State budget. Annual mass participation cultural events are held in Russian and Belarusian cities to celebrate the Day of Unity between the peoples of Russia and Belarus which is marked on April 2.
The International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk and Union State Day which is held as part of it further promote cultural cooperation. Talented Russians and Belarusians are awarded Union State prizes for contributions to literature, art, scientific research, and technology.
Preserving historical memory and popularising shared history feature prominently in Russian-Belarusian cooperation.
In late January, a Joint Russian-Belarusian History Commission was established under the auspices of the respective presidential executive offices to coordinate efforts to protect the historical truth, including in educational literature.
On July 3, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin attended the events marking the 80th anniversary of liberation of Minsk from Nazi invaders. The events were held as part of Independence Day of Belarus.
The 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War will be the key event in 2025. A Union State event plan will soon be completed and then submitted for approval by the Union State Supreme State Council on December 6. One of its items includes joint Belarus Remembers and Immortal Regiment events in the cities of both countries.
Joint military-memorial projects, including the ones carried out as part of the Union State activities, are underway as well. These projects cover repairs, restoration, reconstruction, and efforts to convert the Brest Fortress structures into a museum, as well as the creation of the Monument to the Victorious Soldier sculpture for the Northern Flank of the Kursk Bulge Historical and Cultural Memorial Complex.
