In search of a new “Global East”
Belarus has long been preparing for the arrival of a new world order. It has been working on it politically, economically, diplomatically and culturally, but above all, through sustained propaganda efforts. The question is: what exactly does Minsk mean by referring to the Global East
December 7, 2025 -
Justyna Olędzka
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AnalysisIssue 6 2025Magazine
A summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took place from August 31st to September 1st 2025, marking one year since Belarus became a full member of the organisation. The event received extensive coverage in the Belarusian state media, which focused heavily on Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s diplomatic activity. During the summit, Lukashenka not only attended the military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War, but also held a series of bilateral meetings with leaders from China, North Korea, Turkey, Azerbaijan, India, Indonesia, the Republic of the Congo, and Slovakia.
Overall, in the propaganda messages distributed by Minsk, Belarus’s choice of an “eastern” vector has been presented as a civilizationally fundamental decision. The turn to the East is intended to demonstrate that Lukashenka understands the Zeitgeist and possesses a vision for a new, multipolar world order. He also hopes to show he understands Belarus’s role in it, which is that of a guarantor of stability, not only in the region but also, when needed, on the global stage. To advance this image, the country promotes the so-called “Minsk Platform”, which it uses as a vehicle for dialogue and conflict resolution. From now on, one of the main routes in this eastward journey, as Belarusian officials suggest, goes through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
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