NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE
MOSCOW, 15 May (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik will pay an official visit to Moscow on 15-17 May at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, BelTA learned from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The talks between the foreign ministers of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus will cover a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation and the international agenda. In particular, the diplomats will discuss practical aspects of Russia-Belarus ministerial contacts, including preparations for a joint meeting of the collegiums of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that will be held in Moscow in the fourth quarter of this year. The foreign ministers will take stock of progress to implement the foreign policy coordination program in the Union State in 2022-2023 and the plan of ministerial consultations for 2023,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.
Particular attention will be paid to diplomatic support of integration processes in the Union State, cooperation in the CIS, joint work to implement the programs of Belarus' chairmanship in the CSTO and Russia's chairmanship in the EAEU in 2023.
There are plans to map out steps to improve coordination at the UN and other international platforms, as well as in Asian, African and Latin American countries. The ministers will compare notes on matters of international and European security, including biological, nuclear safety and information security.
During his visit to Russia, Sergei Aleinik is set to meet with the chairs of both chambers of the Russian Parliament - Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Belarus and Russia maintain regular diplomatic contacts: Sergei Aleinik and Sergey Lavrov met in Minsk on 19 December 2022 and on 18-19 January 2023, and also on the sidelines of the CIS Ministerial Council meeting on 14 April 2023.
“Our countries have similar or the same positions on almost all international issues, they closely cooperate in the CSTO, the EAEU, the CIS, the UN, the OSCE and other international and regional organizations, and jointly promote initiatives that are important for both countries. In order to compare notes on topical avenues of cooperation, since 2000 the two countries have held annual joint meetings of the collegiums of their foreign ministries and ministerial consultations at the level of deputy ministers and department heads. These meetings are seen as effective mechanisms to synchronize the joint efforts of the two countries on the global stage,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.
