MINSK, 27 September (BelTA) – Türkiye intends to elevate cooperation with Belarus in various fields to a higher level, Selman Eser, the head of the Türkiye-Belarus friendship group at the Grand National Assembly of the Turkish Republic, told the media following a meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives of Belarus, BelTA has learned.
“Friendship and relations between our countries are already at a very high level. But we hope that through the contacts that we will have during this visit, we will raise the relations to an even higher level,” Selman Eser said.
As a result of a joint meeting of the Belarusian-Turkish parliamentary cooperation working groups, Sergei Rachkov, Head of the Standing Commission on International Affairs of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus and head of the working group of the National Assembly of Belarus on cooperation with the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, emphasized the rich history of bilateral relations. “It is the task of parliamentarians to find new opportunities and potential for the development of cooperation in various areas. During the meeting, we naturally discussed the deepening of inter-parliamentary interaction. Belarus highly values the support of Türkiye at international parliamentary forums,such as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Inter-Parliamentary Union,” he said.
Sergei Rachkov noted that during the annual OSCE PA session in Portugal, Belarusian MPs joined as co-authors of the amendments put forward by Türkiye to the assembly’s resolution.He added that the Belarusian side also receives support from Turkish parliamentarians.
The agenda also included economic and investment cooperation issues. Sergei Rachkov highlighted Türkiye’s big financial and economic potential and the opportunities for Belarus’ economy. The existing mechanisms and prospects for doing so were discussed during the meeting.
“Of course, issues such as people-to-people diplomacy, cultural and humanitarian ties, and tourism development are also a priority for the MPs. First of all, we noted that Türkiye is extremely popular among Belarusians as a tourist destination. Tourism is also developing very actively in Belarus. And we would be glad to see more Turkish guests in Belarus,” Sergei Rachkov said.
He added that ahead of the meeting, the Turkish delegation visited the Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum. The guests were moved by the exposition, the heroism of the Belarusian people, who fought to defend not just their homeland, but the entire world. The parties voiced their desire to work together to strengthen friendship for the sake of peace, stability, and goodwill among people.
The Turkish parliamentary delegation continued its dialogue with the Belarusian side at the Council of the Republic. Such meetings have become a tradition, Viktor Ananich, Deputy Head of the National Assembly’s working group on cooperation with the Turkish parliament, told journalists following the meeting with the leadership of the upper house of parliament. He commented on the main topics of the discussion that took place.
“Türkiye has become one of Belarus’ major economic partners. In recent years, it has been among the top 10 countries with which Belarus has significant trade turnover. In 2024, it exceeded $1 billion. But we have significant potential,” Viktor Ananich said recalling the instruction from the two countries' leaders to increase trade to $1.5 billion.
Tourism was one of the topics discussed at the meeting. “We see interest from the Turkish population in getting to know Belarus. Overall, many cultural events are held both in the Republic of Belarus and in the Turkish Republic,” he noted.
“Friendship and relations between our countries are already at a very high level. But we hope that through the contacts that we will have during this visit, we will raise the relations to an even higher level,” Selman Eser said.
The Turkish side noted at the meeting that there is potential for cooperation between the two friendly nations of Türkiye and Belarus. The diplomatic relations between the countries, which have lasted for 33 years and have developed mainly in areas such as economy, politics, and humanitarian affairs, are of a constructive nature. The head of the Türkiye-Belarus interparliamentary friendship group emphasized that the relations between the countries, which are based on mutual respect and trust, have been elevated to a very high level thanks to the direct dialogue between the countries' leaders, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Aleksandr Lukashenko.
"Türkiye is in fact very genuinely interested in developing relations with Belarus. And we are also committed to developing trade and economic relations between our countries,” Selman Eser said adding that the development of relations between Türkiye and Belarus was discussed in Ankara with the support of the two countries' embassies.
He recalled that the Turkish parliamentary delegation arrived in Belarus on 25 October. The schedule yesterday was very busy. The delegation is scheduled to hold a series of meetings and contacts aimed at developing mutually beneficial relations between the two countries. Selman Eser also highlighted the peace-loving and friendly nature of the Belarusian people.
"Türkiye is in fact very genuinely interested in developing relations with Belarus. And we are also committed to developing trade and economic relations between our countries,” Selman Eser said adding that the development of relations between Türkiye and Belarus was discussed in Ankara with the support of the two countries' embassies.
He recalled that the Turkish parliamentary delegation arrived in Belarus on 25 October. The schedule yesterday was very busy. The delegation is scheduled to hold a series of meetings and contacts aimed at developing mutually beneficial relations between the two countries. Selman Eser also highlighted the peace-loving and friendly nature of the Belarusian people.
As a result of a joint meeting of the Belarusian-Turkish parliamentary cooperation working groups, Sergei Rachkov, Head of the Standing Commission on International Affairs of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus and head of the working group of the National Assembly of Belarus on cooperation with the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, emphasized the rich history of bilateral relations. “It is the task of parliamentarians to find new opportunities and potential for the development of cooperation in various areas. During the meeting, we naturally discussed the deepening of inter-parliamentary interaction. Belarus highly values the support of Türkiye at international parliamentary forums,such as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Inter-Parliamentary Union,” he said.
Sergei Rachkov noted that during the annual OSCE PA session in Portugal, Belarusian MPs joined as co-authors of the amendments put forward by Türkiye to the assembly’s resolution.He added that the Belarusian side also receives support from Turkish parliamentarians.
The agenda also included economic and investment cooperation issues. Sergei Rachkov highlighted Türkiye’s big financial and economic potential and the opportunities for Belarus’ economy. The existing mechanisms and prospects for doing so were discussed during the meeting.
“Of course, issues such as people-to-people diplomacy, cultural and humanitarian ties, and tourism development are also a priority for the MPs. First of all, we noted that Türkiye is extremely popular among Belarusians as a tourist destination. Tourism is also developing very actively in Belarus. And we would be glad to see more Turkish guests in Belarus,” Sergei Rachkov said.
He added that ahead of the meeting, the Turkish delegation visited the Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum. The guests were moved by the exposition, the heroism of the Belarusian people, who fought to defend not just their homeland, but the entire world. The parties voiced their desire to work together to strengthen friendship for the sake of peace, stability, and goodwill among people.
The Turkish parliamentary delegation continued its dialogue with the Belarusian side at the Council of the Republic. Such meetings have become a tradition, Viktor Ananich, Deputy Head of the National Assembly’s working group on cooperation with the Turkish parliament, told journalists following the meeting with the leadership of the upper house of parliament. He commented on the main topics of the discussion that took place.
“Türkiye has become one of Belarus’ major economic partners. In recent years, it has been among the top 10 countries with which Belarus has significant trade turnover. In 2024, it exceeded $1 billion. But we have significant potential,” Viktor Ananich said recalling the instruction from the two countries' leaders to increase trade to $1.5 billion.
Tourism was one of the topics discussed at the meeting. “We see interest from the Turkish population in getting to know Belarus. Overall, many cultural events are held both in the Republic of Belarus and in the Turkish Republic,” he noted.
The topic of peace was also a major point of discussion. “Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko always says that it is better to work than to fight a war,” Viktor Ananich said. He noted that the Turkish side holds a similar view. The interest of both states and peoples lies in economic development.
During the visit, Turkish parliamentarians are also scheduled to tour a number of Belarusian mechanical engineering enterprises and cultural institutions. The parties are set to discuss a broad range of issues concerning inter-parliamentary interaction, cooperation in trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties and also to exchange experience in legislative activities and to share views on a number of pressing international issues.
Head of the Türkiye-Belarus friendship interparliamentary group of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Selman Eser will take part in the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security.
The working group for cooperation with the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye was established in the National Assembly of Belarus of the eighth convocation in May 2024. The group’s activities are aimed at facilitating the development of Belarusian-Turkish relations.
During the visit, Turkish parliamentarians are also scheduled to tour a number of Belarusian mechanical engineering enterprises and cultural institutions. The parties are set to discuss a broad range of issues concerning inter-parliamentary interaction, cooperation in trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties and also to exchange experience in legislative activities and to share views on a number of pressing international issues.
Head of the Türkiye-Belarus friendship interparliamentary group of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Selman Eser will take part in the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security.
The working group for cooperation with the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye was established in the National Assembly of Belarus of the eighth convocation in May 2024. The group’s activities are aimed at facilitating the development of Belarusian-Turkish relations.
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