MINSK, 24 September (BelTA) – Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei continues a series of bilateral meetings and talks on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 76) in New York. The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BelTA about the details of the meetings scheduled for 21-28 September.
On the second day of the work, the foreign minister met with counterparts from seven countries: Venezuela, Vietnam, Mozambique, Jamaica, Estonia, Syria, and Hungary. A day earlier Vladimir Makei held talks with the ministers of Iran, Nicaragua, Turkey, Serbia and Finland.
The Belarusian foreign minister met with his Venezuelan counterpart Félix Plasencia. The parties emphasized the need to intensify a comprehensive interstate dialogue and step up cooperation in trade and economy. They also discussed preparations for the visit to Belarus of a special envoy of the Venezuelan president to discuss the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation.
The foreign ministers noted that they are on the same page concerning the international agenda and agreed on close coordination of efforts as part of multilateral efforts to protect national interests and sovereignty of the UN member states.
At the meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Vladimir Makei called for resuming personal high-level and highest-level contacts that were interrupted due to the pandemic. The parties had a detailed discussion of cooperation prospects in trade and economy, including a possibility of increasing supplies of Belarusian trucks and setting up joint ventures.
The Vietnamese foreign minister noted that the Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU member states and Vietnam can be used to promote Vietnamese products on the Eurasian market.
The foreign ministers expressed confidence that the planned opening of the Consulate General of Belarus in Ho Chi Minh City will be highly instrumental in facilitating contacts between the two countries.
The parties also discussed interaction between Belarus and Vietnam in international organizations, including mutual support in elections to UN bodies.
Vladimir Makei met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlovo. The foreign ministers welcomed the recent intensification of political contacts and discussed cooperation prospects in trade and economy. They pointed to the importance of mutual support in international organizations, agreed to take a number of concrete steps in bilateral and multilateral formats.
On the initiative of the Jamaican side, Vladimir Makei met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica Kamina Johnson Smith. The parties discussed priority areas of cooperation in the UN, agreements on mutual support in elections to UN bodies.
Vladimir Makei and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia Eva-Maria Liimets reviewed a wide range of issues of mutual interest.
The meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic Faisal Mekdad focused on the domestic political situation in Belarus and Syria. The parties also reviewed a number of issues of the international agenda.
The ministers discussed a possibility of holding another meeting of the joint commission on trade, economic and technology cooperation in the near future and the exchange of visits at a high level.
Faisal Mekdad thanked Belarus for hosting Syrian children for recuperation and for regularly providing humanitarian aid.
During the meeting with Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó the parties exchanged views on topical issues of the international agenda and discussed a possibility of expanding bilateral cooperation.
In addition to that, Vladimir Makei took part in a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter to discuss ways to counteract unilateral coercive measures and in the UN Food Systems Summit.
