MINSK, 26 September (BelTA) – At the meeting with Ukrainian journalists on 26 September Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the Forum of Regions of Belarus and Ukraine is important not only for the two countries but also for him personally, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the ongoing press conference is taking place in the run-up to the 2nd Forum of Regions of Belarus and Ukraine that will take place in Zhitomir in early October. “This project is of great significance not only for our countries, but also for me personally, to be honest” the president said.
He recalled that two years ago the government of Ukraine upheld this idea and a year later the forum debuted in Gomel. “The results were not long in coming. Such events help build important interregional ties, first of all, in trade and economy,” the head of state said.
In his words, trade and economic cooperation is the pillar of Belarus-Ukraine partnership and the two countries have made substantial progress in this field. In 2018 the bilateral trade came close to $5.5 billion. “There are joint ventures and many common infrastructure projects. We have developed close cooperation ties. I should say that this process is gaining momentum,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
