On the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in late September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov launched the drafting of the “Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century”. The collective decision to pursue the project stems from emerging multipolarity and geopolitical diversity.
Lavrov convened Asian and Eurasian leaders in New York to discuss implementation steps and the drafting process. According to the official report, Russia and Belarus noted that while regions like Africa and Latin America have pan-continental forums, Eurasia features many sub-regional organizations but lacks an overarching umbrella structure.
Structure and Organization
The initiative establishes an open expert group comprised of a core of countries ready to participate in drafting the document, allowing other interested parties to join later. The first in-person expert round is scheduled to take place in Minsk by the end of 2026.
Talks will be conducted in English, operate on a consensus basis, and are designed to avoid artificial deadlines. The process aims to produce a leaders’ text by about October 2027, followed by a summit in Minsk.
Goals and Leadership
During the launch, the foreign ministers of Russia and Belarus emphasized that the charter aims to strengthen economic cooperation and connectivity, develop humanitarian ties, support dialogue among civilizations, and establish equitable decision-making mechanisms for Eurasian countries and peoples.
Belarus, as an initial co-author alongside Russia, will assume the role of chair in the negotiation process with the option of appointing two co-chairs. If no other Eurasian state volunteers, Belarus will exercise the position alone. The initiating states and the chairing party will not hold any privileges or exclusive powers regarding the determination of the document’s content, and participation in negotiations remains open to all Eurasian states involved in the official launch.
