Lukashenko heads to China for three-day visit amid tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine

The dictator of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenkowill arrive today China for a three-day visit where he is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinpingdays later beijing present a document in which he explains his position on a “political solution to the conflict in Ukraine”.

The Belarusian dictator left his country heading for the Asian nation on Tuesday, the European country’s state media reported.

For its part, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Beijing and Minsk they enjoy “strong mutual political trust” and “increasing coordination on international and regional affairs”.

“The Chinese and Belarusian presidents met on the sidelines of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization last September”, recalled the spokesman of the ministry, who added that the two leaders “have drawn up a new roadmap for the development of relations between the two countries”.

China “hopes to take advantage of this visit to further advance cooperation between the two countries,” Mao said.

Lukashenko’s trip comes a few days after Beijing presented a document in which he explained in twelve points his “position for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine” and in which he underlined the need for “dialogue and negotiations”.

Last Friday, the same day China presented the document, the Belarusian and Chinese foreign ministers, Sergei Aleynik and Qin Gangstressed in a telephone conversation their support for peace negotiations in Ukraine as the only way to resolve the conflict.

An editorial from the official journal world times assures today that “China and Belarus support the resolution of conflicts through diplomatic channels” and that “strengthening of communication between Beijing and Minsk on ‘the Ukrainian question’ will contribute to solving the crisis”, contrary to other powers which “put oil on the fire”, accuses the newspaper.

Last January, on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Belarus, their leaders stressed their mutual “indestructible political trust” in a cross message.

increasingly isolated from Europe and the rest of West because of its authoritarian drift and its policies towards migrants, the Lukashenko regime he has lately turned to allies like Beijing and Moscow.

Last September, during the last summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (OCS) in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand, Belarus, has applied to join this body, known as “Eastern NATO”, despite being an exclusively European country.

For its part, since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, China has maintained an ambiguous position in which it has called for respect for “the territorial integrity of all countries”, including Ukraine, and for the attention to the “legitimate concerns of all countries”. , referring to Russia.

(With information from EFE)

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