MINSK, 8 July (BelTA) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to the United Arab Emirates Andrei Luchenok presented credentials to Vice President, Prime Minister and Defense Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on 7 July, BelTA learned from the Belarusian diplomatic mission.
The ambassador reaffirmed Belarus' resolution to do its best for the further comprehensive enhancement of cooperation between the two countries.
Andrei Luchenok was appointed ambassador in the AEU (with a concurrent accreditation in the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) in March 2019. Previously he worked as deputy head of the Directorate-General – Head of the Department of Africa and the Middle East of the Directorate-General for Asia, Africa and Latin America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Appointing the diplomat, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the development of trade and economic cooperation is his priority in the region. “I would not say that we have built powerful trade and economic partnerships with them over time. This is our number one task. Politics, diplomacy, respect, friendship with sheikhs – I have this all, and not only I. There is absolute trust. However, this region is not easy, not poor. We should expand our trade with them. This is your number one task there. Diplomacy and politics should be underpinned by economy, finance and trade. Otherwise, no one needs this diplomacy and this politics,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Speaking to the media after his appointment, Andrei Luchenok said that the president set “specific, clear, practical tasks”. “This region is known to be a major donor of investment abroad. Our objective is to bring this investment to Belarus. Our second task is to increase Belarusian exports to this region and further, to other countries,” the diplomat noted.
