From statements to serious steps: How foreign media covered Belarus this week

From statements to serious steps. What did foreign media write about Belarus this week?

The head of state on October 9 attended the CIS summit in Turkmenistan. The President's statements — about a common destiny, a historic moment, and steps toward strengthening unity — were widely covered in foreign media.

📰 Anadolu 🇹🇷: "Lukashenko urged CIS countries not to limit themselves to declarations and meetings, but to move toward real steps to strengthen unity, especially in the economy. 'This is prosperity, this is the strength of our states. Then there will be fewer talks about independence, preserving borders, and so on,' the Belarusian leader said."

📰 1News 🇦🇿: "The President of Belarus called Baku's decision to chair the CIS in 2028 historic and expressed hope that Armenia would also take on this role in 2029."

📰 ArmInfo 🇦🇲: "Lukashenko is confident that each country will give new momentum to the work of the CIS. 'Belarus will provide you with maximum support and actively participate in all processes,' the President assured."

Pakistani media this week covered the visit of Belarus's Security Council Secretary to Islamabad.

📰 The Diplomatic Insight 🇵🇰: "Belarus and Pakistan aim to expand their international partnerships. Contacts between their security structures indicate that both capitals see value in expanding ties beyond traditional partners. Both countries are also members of the SCO, enabling basic cooperation and coordination on security issues."

Iranian media focused on economic cooperation between Minsk and Tehran.

📰 Tehran Times 🇮🇷: "The 19th meeting of the Belarus-Iran commission on economic cooperation, held in Minsk with high-level delegations from both countries, focused on simplifying banking operations and expanding financial cooperation. This meeting is seen as an important step toward currency independence and diversifying financial channels between the two countries amid current global economic conditions."

Meanwhile, Western media remain fixated on Belarusian fertilizers.

📰 Onet 🇵🇱: "Trump got his way. Belarus has sent the first batch of fertilizers to the US after sanctions were eased."

📰 NRA 🇱🇻: "The ship's arrival at the Port of New Orleans is scheduled for October 14... This occurs amid reduced fertilizer availability on the global market due to the geopolitical situation, including events in the Middle East."

Lithuanian media reached curious conclusions after the US did not invite them to a meeting on NATO's future.

📰 Alkas 🇱🇹: "Why can't we expect an invitation to the NATO meeting? With one hand we sign an agreement with the US on critical raw materials, with the other we fuel tensions between the EU and Belarus, trying to keep sanctions on potash fertilizers in place. How now (…) lift the sanctions Lithuania imposed unilaterally? We will have to admit our mistakes. Moreover, we will need to negotiate with Belaruskali to withdraw the multi-billion euro lawsuit and travel to Lukashenko for political talks."

Meanwhile, lobbyists of Canadian fertilizers are already warning that the US could become dependent on Belarusian potash.

📰 Newsweek 🇺🇸: "While Trump's desire to find the best deal for American farmers is valid, dependence on Belarus will ultimately make our farmers less secure."

Finally, some unexpected conclusions from Polish journalists — unexpected against the backdrop of numerous Western media publications for years predicting the imminent collapse of the Belarusian and Russian economies.

📰 Obserwator Gospodarczy 🇵🇱: "Our calculations show that the Russian economy is currently only 1.1% below its pre-war level, while the Belarusian economy is 1.9% above it. After the initial shock, Belarus created alternative supply chains, redirected exports to new markets, and benefited from rising demand in Russia. At the same time, soft credit policies and increased budget spending supported domestic demand."