MINSK, 26 August (BelTA) – On 26 August the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an opening ceremony for the Year of the Regions of Belarus and China for 2021-2022. Belarus' Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolai Borisevich and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Xie Xiaoyong exchanged diplomatic notes, BelTA has learned.
The ceremony was also attended by Belarus' Deputy Economy Minister Anzhelika Nikitina. The exchange of the notes heralds the official start of the Year of the Regions and the entry into force of the corresponding action plan. The Year of the Regions might be extended through 2023.
Belarus-China interregional cooperation will not start from scratch. This format of contacts has already become a tradition. Each of the six Belarusian regions and the city of Minsk established twinning relations with two or more provinces of China. About 20 cooperation agreements were signed between the cities of the two countries.
Belarus established its presence not only in Beijing where the country's embassy is located. Consulates general were also opened in Guangzhou, Chongqing and Shanghai. A consulate general in Hong Kong will be inaugurated in the near future.
“I strongly believe that it is regional cooperation that lays the groundwork for comprehensive multi-level cooperation between countries, especially with China. This applies to trade and economy, research and technology, and social and humanitarian field, and, most importantly, human contacts. A particular value of regional cooperation is bringing nations closer together,” Nikolai Borisevich noted.
The agreement to hold the Year of the Regions was reached during a telephone conversation between Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping in January. “The Year of the Regions of Belarus and China seeks to foster interregional cooperation,” the press service of the Belarusian leader said following the conversation.
The Year of the Regions is the third thematic year for Belarus and China. The year 2018 was declared the Year of Tourism, while 2019 was the Year of Education.
