On November 5, 2025, the International Round Table “II Minsk Model SCO” was hosted by the Faculty of International Relations of the Belarusian State University in a blended format. The round table was organized by FIR BSU and SCOLAR Minsk Hub. The event brought together over 80 experts and young researchers from 4 countries (Republic of Belarus, Russian Federation, Chinese People Republic, Republic of Uzbekistan).
The event was opened by Dean of the FIR BSU, Elena Anatolyevna Dostanko, and Co-founder and President of the SCOLAR Network, Victoria Khu. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Executive Secretary of the SCO Business Council, Sergey Vadimovich Kanavskiy; Acting Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the SCO Secretariat, Evgeny Olegovich Ryabtsev; Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Larisa Sergeevna Lukina; Director of Center for People’s Diplomacy of SCO in Uzbekistan, Kabuljon Kasimovich Sabirov, and Dean of the Higher School of International Relations of the N.A. Dobrolyubov Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University, Svetlana Anatolyevna Kolobova. Greetings to the participants were also sent by the Head of the China and Asia-Pacific Cooperation Department of the Main Directorate for Asia, Africa, Latin America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vadim Leonidovich Senyuta, and Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of Anhui University (Hefei, People’s Republic of China), Hu Xuewen.
The plenary session was moderated by Senior Lecturer of the Department of Oriental Studies at FIR BSU, Ksenia Igorevna Leshchenko. During the plenary session, Ruslan Olegovich Esin, Head of the Department for Comprehensive Study and Development of China at FIR BSU, spoke about the potential of SCO states on the Arctic route. Nikita Nikolaevich Belenchenko, Head of the Center for International Studies at FIR BSU, presented a report on “Science Diplomacy and Academic Mobility in the SCO: The View of the Republic of Belarus on Issues of Humanitarian Cooperation”. Oleg Petrovich Mavrin, Senior Consultant of the Department of Social Research and Consulting at the Analytical Center of VCIOM (Moscow, Russian Federation), spoke about the perception of artificial intelligence in Russia and the world in the context of AI implementation. Mark Pavlovich Shiryaev, Lecturer at the Department of Oriental Studies at FIR BSU, presented a report titled “From Algorithm to Actor: How Artificial Intelligence is Rethinking Market Rationality and Promoting Sustainable Development”. Curator of SCOLAR Nizhny Novgorod Hub, Vladimir Olegovich Makarov, presented a report “Voice of Youth from the Heart of Russia: Initiatives of SCOLAR Nizhny Novgorod Hub”. A representative of the Northern Vector Laboratory operating at FIR BSU, FIR student Yan Nikolaevich Koba, spoke about the laboratory’s activities from the perspective of trilateral interaction between Belarus, Russia, and China on the Northern Sea Route. Concluding the plenary session, representatives of the Student Research Laboratory “Oriental Studies”, first-year students of the “African Studies” specialty at FIR, spoke: Artem Mikhailovich Raranchuk delivered a report “Digital Mind of the State: Application of Artificial Intelligence in Strategic Management and Planning for a Sustainable Economy in SCO Countries”, and Ulyana Dmitrievna Parfenova and Darya Andreevna Puz presented on the potential of artificial intelligence for the sustainable development of human capital in SCO countries.
The event continued with the work of two sections: “Protection nature, the environment and our climate” (working language – Russian, moderated by Lecturer of the Department of Oriental Studies at FIR BSU Mark Pavlovich Shiryaev and FIR BSU student, Vice-Curator of SCOLAR Minsk Hub Boris Arkadievich Kaplun) and “The role of artificial intelligence in forming the foundation for sustainable development of SCO countries” (working language – Chinese, moderated by Senior Lecturer of the Department of Oriental Studies at FIR BSU & Mentor of SCOLAR Minsk Hub Ksenia Igorevna Leshchenko and FIR BSU student, Curator of SCOLAR Minsk Hub Darya Dmitrievna Kuzmich). During the section meetings, meetings of the SCO Council of Heads of Government and the SCO Council of National Coordinators were simulated in the format of a business game. They were attended by over 60 students from BSU, the Academy of Administration under the President of the Republic of Belarus, MITSO, MSULS, BSUIR, BNTU, and N.A. Dobrolyubov Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University. Participants, working in teams, presented the positions of SCO member states on the aforementioned agendas and developed proposals, which were then included in the final documents. The best participants of the section meetings were awarded certificates and prizes.
The “Minsk Model SCO”was organized at FIR for the second time. The first event took place on November 13-15, 2024. It was attended by over 60 students, master’s students, postgraduate students, and experts.
