The Eurasian view of security reflects the approach of the majority of countries to resetting international relations without a global military conflict. However the Eurasian concept will certainly have to continue in order to compete with the Euro-Atlantic project, which does not exclude the possible conjugation and coexistence of the two security and development architectures in the future, writes Vitaly Stakhovsky.
The concept of Eurasian security is one of the key elements of a fair world order, close to the Republic of Belarus, and is taken into account in the justification of foreign policy initiatives. It is laid down in the work of integration associations in which nations participate.
Belarus is deeply involved in helping to establish Eurasian security system concepts and through national initiatives, seeks to actively fill the Eurasian space with new multilateral formats, strategic documents, and meaning.
An innovative national contribution to the formation and strengthening of the Eurasian security architecture is the establishment in 2023 of the annual “Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security,” as well as the ongoing development of the Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century together with the Russian Federation. The document is intended, as noted by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, “to accelerate the processes of political, economic and other consolidation in order to ensure security, strategic stability and progressive development.”
The main essence of the promoted idea of diversity is post-colonial thinking: the equality of small and medium-sized countries with large players. In the context of the new technological order, their role has increased significantly. At the same time, the Belarusian approach is based on the principles of peace and neighbourliness.
In 2024, President Lukashenko proposed a number of priority measures to de-escalate global tensions and create working mechanisms for ensuring global security. These include the elimination of the practice of imposing sanctions without UN Security Council endorsement, along with the creation of a mechanism of international legal guarantees that do not allow the use of such a method of pressure; the development of a new contractual and legal mechanism to create a transparent control regime for the deadliest emerging technology (lasers, hypersonic weaponry, quantum and electromagnetic systems and other advanced developments); and the adoption of an international legal act on cyber non-aggression.
In order to form a safe space in Eurasia, Belarus has been demonstrating a responsible approach to participation in integration associations that have served as the foundation for Eurasian security for decades - the Union State, the CIS, and the CSTO.
The presence and participation of Belarus in the work of the SCO and BRICS is expanding. In line with the pan-Eurasian approach, Minsk is promoting the idea, voiced in 2024 by President Lukashenko, to organise a meeting of senior officials of several key regional organisations: ASEAN, CSTO, SCO, CIS, CICA, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
For us, the highest-priority driver for the development of security in Eurasia is Belarusian-Russian interaction. Important documents for the Eurasian partnership have included the Concept of Security of the Union State and the Treaty between Belarus and Russia on Security Guarantees within the Union State, which are based on the unique integration experience of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. Minsk and Moscow have formed a joint vision of the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century.
From an expert point of view, Eurasian security is a large-scale dimension of international relations, which has broad potential for development and is capable of covering many initiatives and meanings.
In this regard, it is possible to identify a number of potential trends that in the future will contribute to a more complete disclosure of the possibilities of the Eurasian agenda and its advantages.
1. The world as normal. The strengthening of the Eurasian view of security reflects the approach of the majority of countries to resetting international relations without a global military conflict. Given the modern world's habituation to the “normality” of smouldering points of regional tension, such a conflict may no longer lead to a reset of international relations, as has happened before. Under such a scenario, states may plunge into permanent chaos for decades, not allowing each other to rise either economically or morally.
2. Eurasia without borders. The breadth and blurring of the borders of Eurasia, traditionally considered avulnerability of the region, has today become its main wealth and advantage. Due to the vastness of geographical interpretations of the scale of Eurasia, it is possible to assert that the Eurasian agenda, even without being clearly articulated, in itself has a serious impact on international relations.
3. Development in diversity. Eurasian diversity is also applicable to the security sphere, given that the strength of our continent is the diversity of traditions, cultures, political systems, and experience in building balanced relations. Countries that share the Eurasian spirit of respectful dialogue become partners in exchanging best practices in approaches to ensure national security.
4. Responsible choice. The Eurasian view of security implies freedom of choice: whether states want a rigid security architecture in the Eurasian space with many institutions or prefer more flexible formats. As the success of the BRICS group shows, today there is demand for a dynamic format of like-minded states moving in the same direction without unnecessary structural and institutional superstructures. There is a return to codes of unwritten principles and canons of behaviour, responsibility of a different quality level.
5. Unifying agenda. The Belarusian-Russian proposal for Eurasian security - the Charter of Multipolarity and Diversity in the 21st Century - has only increased its relevance and demand. It is important to remember that security is only one link in the system of universal values. National dignity and sovereignty, mutual respect and equal opportunities – familiar terms for us – must again become meaningful, and not just figures of speech. The true value of these concepts is that they underlie all military conflicts, and they are also capable of bringing peace.
6. Protection of human interests. The “soft power” of Eurasian security is built on the diversity of ways to realise human potential. It is based on a person, his security and well-being at all levels. Therefore, we are faced with a major task – to fight for the minds of citizens. Nation states must become centres of attraction for those who live abroad for various reasons. We need to make sure that our internal capabilities are more attractive to them than deceptive external images.
7. Reliance on our own capabilities. The potential of Eurasia is sufficient to resolve any global problems. The Eurasian continent is the largest on the planet. The bulk of the world's population lives here, and the planet's strategic resources are concentrated here. In this regard, peace on the Eurasian continent is the cornerstone of global security and a condition for the survival of humanity.
8. Dialogue. The specifics of the functioning of the Union State, the EAEU, the SCO and BRICS push us to the fact that Eurasian security will include many dimensions related to development issues (economy, technology, logistics, food). At the same time, one should not expect that this agenda will be too soft, given that Eurasia is home to states with significant military-technical potential, and there are unresolved contradictions in the region.
9. Synergy of potentials. For Belarus, Eurasian logic is a harmonious superstructure over traditional integration projects, which can strengthen their positioning and deepen relations with allies. The successful experience and creative energy of Belarusian bilateral partnerships with such centres of power as Russia and China clearly demonstrate how constructive interaction between states with asymmetric resource potential can be built. Within the framework of the Union construction, the integration opportunities of the EAEU and the CIS, agreed strategies are being implemented, and multilateral institutions are being developed.
10. New thinking. The logic of Eurasian development is important in resolving stagnant problems. We felt that the Eurasian view of traditional areas of interaction, including security, can bring additional efficiency to these areas.
Thus, Belarus is ready to work with like-minded people on a wide variety of topics and areas, such as: food and energy security, the creation of financial settlement systems independent of external influence, and building a new regional logistics architecture. We have something to offer and something to learn from others.
The Eurasian concept will certainly have to continue in order to compete with the Euro-Atlantic project, which does not exclude the possible conjugation and coexistence of the two security and development architectures in the future.
This prospect most likely creates the need to consolidate the strategic universal values of the Eurasian space, which in the long term could form the basis for a non-conflict and pragmatic dialogue between East and West, North and South.
The practical implementation of this goal on the Eurasian continent may include the following steps:
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recognition of the leading role of Eurasia in the formation of a global security system and public standards;
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reliance on the diversity of existing integration projects as stabilising platforms for Eurasia; the priority of objective multilateral solutions to the current set of global problems (migration, hunger, climate, health care);
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balanced and adaptive social support that promotes citizens' involvement in the development of the state;
- and the conjugation of national models to build a common Eurasian space.
