Belarusian leader wants to honor his trusted friend and the Chinese people for gifting a sports complex to Minsk

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has proposed installing a monument to Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the newly opened national football stadium in Minsk, which was constructed entirely with Chinese funding.

The new venue, built to FIFA and UEFA standards, was unveiled on Saturday along with an Olympic-standard swimming pool. Both projects were reportedly fully financed by Beijing. The stadium's entrance features a sculpture of Belarusian and Chinese football players - but Lukashenko proposed adding another figure.

"I said it would be fitting to place a statue of my friend Xi Jinping," Lukashenko said at the ceremony. "It's only thanks to him that the Chinese built this stadium at their own expense. You don't see many like this in Europe."

"It's a complete gift from the Chinese people. Not a single Belarusian ruble was used," the president emphasized.

Local authorities also upgraded nearby infrastructure, including a park and an additional stadium, turning the area into a modern sports hub. The stadium's debut featured a youth football match between Belarus and China, attended by 33,000 spectators.

Lukashenko described the projects as a reflection of deepening ties between the two countries. He said the initiative originated during one of his past visits to Beijing, where Xi presented him with architectural models of the facilities as a personal gesture of friendship.

The proposal follows Lukashenko's most recent visit to China. During their talks on June 4, Xi congratulated the Belarusian leader on his re-election and described the two nations as "true friends and good partners," emphasizing their "unshakable political mutual trust" and long-standing cooperation. He said Beijing views its relationship with Minsk from a "strategic and long-term perspective," and called for closer coordination within multilateral organizations, including the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The Chinese president also urged both countries to "jointly oppose hegemonic, domineering, and bullying acts" and to uphold international fairness and justice.

Lukashenko praised China's global role, highlighting its consistent defense of multilateralism and resistance to sanctions and external pressure. He reaffirmed Belarus's trust in China and said both nations were united in their desire to maintain global stability.

"Today, the eyes of many countries, including Belarus, are turned toward you - toward Beijing," Lukashenko said.

(RT.com)