MINSK, 20 September (BelTA) - Belarus will always be committed to friendly relations with Moldova, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with outgoing Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Moldova to Belarus Victor Sorocean on 20 September, BelTA has learned.
The president said that Victor Sorocean was completing his diplomatic mission in Belarus and thanked him for his work. “You have been a good ambassador of your country, I must frankly say that. I really hope that the next ambassador will be just the same. You have not just maintained friendly relations between our countries (which is an ambassador's duty if he or she wants to be a true ambassador). You have always worked heart and soul for the Belarusians,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
“You should know that we will always stay committed to the close friendship of the Belarusians and Moldovans. We want Moldova to remain a friendly, sovereign independent state and gradually solve its problems,” said the Belarusian leader.
In his words, any state has problems of this or that nature, and Moldova had enough of them after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Moldova has done a lot in recent years to determine where its interests are and in what direction to go, Aleksandr Lukashenko believes. “Igor Dodon has done a lot in this regard. New power and new people have come to power in the country, but I am sure they will have to (if someone there thinks in their own way and, as I say, in the opposite direction) pursue a policy in Moldova's interests. The interests of the leadership must be connected to Moldova first and foremost.”
The Belarusian leader added that he has always had a loving attitude toward Moldova, which he considers a pearl of Europe and a beautiful corner of the planet. “I see the development of Moldova as a sovereign and independent state. This is in the interests of the people. I do not think there will be a politician who would pursue a different policy, the people simply will not allow a policy to give away sovereignty and independence,” the president stressed.
“Moldova may be a small nation, but it has very great political ambitions for the independence of the state. In this regard, we will always be on your side,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The Belarusian leader also stressed the ambassador's role in the development of trade and economic relations: “A lot has been done for our economic potentials. Mutual trade is good – it would be great to have similar trade figures with other small post-Soviet countries.”
“We consume large volumes of your products, especially critical imports. We will continue to do so, we are not going to deviate from this policy, if it is beneficial for Moldova. We export what you need, especially machines, mechanisms, cars, tractors, trolleybuses - everything you have asked for,” the head of state added.
In January-July 2021 the bilateral trade reached $123 million, up 15% year-on-year. Belarusian exports exceeded $86 million (up almost 31%), and imports were about $37 million. Belarus supplied Moldova mainly with oil products, tractors, trolleybuses, fiberglass, dairy products, and medicines. Belarus imported wine and spirits, corn, fruit and vegetables, carpets and floor coverings from Moldova.
More than 60 representative offices, entities of the commodity distribution network and distributors of Belarusian enterprises operate in Moldova; there are three assembly factories where trolleybuses of Belkommunmash, tractors of Smorgon aggregate plant and Bobruisk plant of tractor parts and aggregates are produced. There are 23 enterprises with Moldovan capital in Belarus, including seven joint ventures and 16 foreign organizations.
