MINSK, 15 January (BelTA) – Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik talked to the ONT TV channel about the prospects for cooperation between Belarus and Saudi Arabia, BelTA has learned.
Sergei Aleinik has recently traveled to Saudi Arabia on an official visit. During the visit, the Belarusian delegation held a number of meetings and reached some agreements.
"Saudi Arabia is a very rapidly developing country. In recent years it has grown into a very serious regional player and, I would even say, global player. It has happened, first of all, through the Vision 2030 strategic program, which involves the state economic transformation from a hydrocarbon country to a developed high-tech state. The emphasis is on tripling the country's industrial potential. Here, certainly, we are well-positioned to achieve a very important and mutually beneficial synergy of our cooperation in the manufacturing sector, agriculture, science, technology and innovations. My meetings and negotiations in Riyadh were largely focused on this," the minister said.
Sergei Aleinik held a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. The meeting focused on the whole range of issues related to the development of political ties, bilateral trade and economic relations. “The priorities include the resumption of the work of the bilateral committee on trade and economic cooperation. I think it will be implemented very soon," Sergei Aleinik stated.
During the meeting, the minister handed over the messages from Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to King King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Crown Prince - Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The documents are devoted to bilateral relations and ways of furthering them in various fields.
"The messages were read out and discussed during the Saudi Cabinet meeting chaired by the King on 9 January. The Saudi government highlighted the focus on developing bilateral relations with Belarus. During the meeting the Saudi government approved the bilateral agreement in agriculture and I hope we will be able to sign it in the near future," Sergei Aleinik added.
During the visit the Belarusian delegation also met with Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef and Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, the president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, which is the partner structure of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
"During the negotiations, we noted the similarity of our views on the main world processes. Both Belarus and Saudi Arabia are in favor of building a fairer world order that would ensure and consider the interests of all the states without exception. In many ways our views are similar, including on ways to resolve regional conflicts," Sergei Aleinik concluded.
