MINSK, 10 November (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei held productive talks with government officials and representatives of big business during his working visit to India, BelTA learned from the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mutual interest in cooperation in a wide range of areas was confirmed at a meeting with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The parties stressed the traditionally friendly and constructive nature of bilateral cooperation and outlined concrete steps to expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation. The foreign ministers of the two countries discussed issues of mutual support in international organizations, agreed on joint work to update the legal framework of the Belarusian-Indian relations. The parties also "discussed in detail the current situation in Ukraine, noting the need for its speedy settlement by peaceful means," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.
Issues of ensuring international food security, taking into account the role of Belarus as one of the leading producers of potash fertilizers, were discussed at a meeting between Vladimir Makei and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya. The parties considered approaches to cooperation in the field of petrochemistry.
"The eleventh meeting of the Belarusian-Indian intergovernmental commission on cooperation in trade, economy, industry, science, technology and culture was co-chaired by the minister of foreign affairs of Belarus and the minister of state of commerce and industry of India. The commission considered the entire spectrum of issues of bilateral cooperation, primarily interaction in logistics, industrial cooperation, agriculture, finance, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, science, education, tourism and other areas. At the end of the meeting the participants signed a protocol on defining further steps to achieve strategic relations between the two countries,” the minister of foreign affairs said.
Vladimir Makei also met with Minister of Commerce and Industry of India Piyush Goyal. The parties reaffirmed commitment to creating favorable conditions for enhancing mutual trade and implementation of joint projects in such areas as mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals and infrastructure development. They also stressed the need to remove trade barriers and restrictions between the two countries.
The minister spoke at the Belarusian-Indian business forum organized under the auspices of the National Center for Marketing and Price Study of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The forum was attended by more than 60 Indian companies. Vladimir Makei called upon representatives of Indian business to work more actively in Belarus and confirmed the readiness of Belarusian companies to expand their presence in India.
Agreements on cooperation between Belarusian and Indian companies were reached and relevant mutually beneficial documents were signed on the sidelines on the forum.
During his visit to New Delhi, the minister also held bilateral meetings with representatives of major Indian businesses to discuss prospects of implementation of a number of projects of mutual interest.
Photos courtesy of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
