MINSK, 4 February (BelTA) – Belarus and the Dominican Republic have potential to intensify bilateral cooperation, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus Valery Mitskevich said as he met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Dominican Republic to the Republic of Belarus on concurrent Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, BelTA has learned.
“Congratulations on the official start of your mission in our country. I am sure that your work in our country will give a boost to cooperation between Belarus and the Dominican Republic. Belarusian parliamentarians have always supported the development of friendly relations with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. We are glad to have an opportunity to expand bilateral contacts,” Valery Mitskevich said.
According to him, the parliament plays an important role in promoting bilateral relations. “I am in charge of the group for promoting contacts with the Latin American Parliament at the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, and literally next week we plan to take part in the 36th session of the General Assembly of the Latin American Parliament to be held in Panama. I hope that our delegations will be able to make the most of this opportunity. We can also cooperate within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement created in November last year,” Valery Mitskevich said.
Valery Mitskevich pointed to the alarming lack of trust in international relations these days. “Therefore, in the given circumstances nations around the world need to join efforts to fight against the pandemic and to maintain peace and security. It goes without saying that political and diplomatic contacts should play a significant role in facilitating trade and economic ties and help address specific issues. Our countries are interested in trade and economic cooperation. Last year, the bilateral trade somewhat increased, yet $7.5 million is very little. We can do so much better. We can sell agricultural products, automotive equipment, and fertilizers to the Dominican Republic and buy coffee and fruit produced in the Dominican Republic. These products are in great demand here,” the MP said.
He expressed hope that new opportunities for tourism will open up after the pandemic is over. “Tourism industry is very well developed in the Dominican Republic. I believe more Belarusians will want to visit the Dominican Republic in the future. Our honorary consulates should also contribute to promoting bilateral contacts. Another promising avenue of cooperation is building contacts between the integration structures our countries are part of. I mean the Eurasian Economic Union and the Central American Integration System. I am sure that friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Dominican Republic will only grow stronger in our common interests,” he said.
In turn, the ambassador noted that the Dominican Republic would like to introduce a visa waiver for Belarusians. “My first suggestion is to sign an agreement to scrap visas for Belarusians traveling to the Dominican Republic,” he said. Another important suggestion is to launch a direct flight from Minsk to the Dominican Republic.
