MINSK, 19 January (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei met with honorary consuls of foreign countries, who are accredited in Belarus, in Minsk on 18 January as part of the traditional annual meeting, the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BelTA.
During the meeting the honorary consuls were informed about results of Belarus' foreign policy and foreign trade, about results achieved in advancing multifaceted cooperation with foreign partners in 2017. Vladimir Makei and the honorary consuls discussed prospects of advancing cooperation in 2018 and discussed practical aspects of the day-to-day work of the honorary consuls in detail.
Honorary consuls are not employed by government agencies. Honorary consuls are authorized by their home country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to perform certain consular functions in another country. Honorary consuls usually focus on protecting rights and interests of their home country, its corporations and individuals, on assisting with advancing friendly relations between the two countries, on expanding bilateral trade, economic, cultural, and scientific ties.
At present 31 honorary consuls are accredited in Belarus. They represent interests of 30 countries.
