MINSK, 30 September (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Head of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev on 30 September, BelTA has learned.
“We are ready for the full spectrum of cooperation with Kyrgyzstan. We hold you, your government, and your people in the highest regard. And we are ready to reach that level of trade we were quietly discussing today -approximately $500 million. I don't even want to set a specific date. If we achieve it by 2030, that would be excellent. But it is something we can and must do,” the Belarusian president said to the prime minister of Kyrgyzstan.
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed to specific areas of cooperation with Kyrgyzstan. One such area is the mining industry, where Belarus has certain expertise.
“We are ready to work on our old contracts and projects that have been characteristic of Belarus since Soviet times, and to participate in your projects. We are particularly interested in the mining industry, as we possess all the necessary capabilities for the extraction and transportation of ore to processing plants,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
The head of state noted that during the official visit, which began on 28 September the head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan had already held talks with the prime minister of Belarus, where certain agreements were reached. “Please know that we will definitely fulfill everything we have promised our Kyrgyz friends,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Separately, the president focused on issues of multilateral cooperation, particularly within the EAEU and the CIS. “Right now, it is crucial for us not to lose our common economic space. It is a great asset. In today's world, wandering the globe in search of new markets is very costly, problematic, and it's unlikely we will find them. If we do, that's good. We should look for them gradually. But we must not forget what we already have, we must not lose it. Prudent people proceed from this basis,” he said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that Kyrgyzstan is, in a sense, located “deep within” the Eurasian Economic Union. This creates a certain dependency for the country on other states.
“We are very interested in having you look in our direction. Therefore, we will do everything here, on the international stage, to make things better and easier for Kyrgyzstan,” the Belarusian leader assured.
The head of state is confident that Kyrgyzstan fully supports this kind of policy. “Our goal would be to preserve what we have. But if we manage to build on it, that would be great,” he added.
Adylbek Kasymaliev agreed that Belarus and Kyrgyzstan are capable of reaching a trade of $500 million by 2030. He recalled that a number of documents on developing cooperation in various sectors were signed the day before, the main one being a roadmap extending to 2030.
The prime minister of Kyrgyzstan also mentioned that before his flight to Belarus, he had a meeting with Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov. “He conveyed his best regards to you and strongly endorsed my official visit to Belarus,” the prime minister said.
He also noted that he was happy to be in Minsk, a city he associates with warm memories. The head of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers said that his wife did an internship at Belarusfilm in the mid-1980s.
“A fascinating combination. A filmmaker and a financier,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked with a smile.
“From the moment I stepped off the plane, I felt the warmth of the Belarusian people, their kindness, respectability, and deep cultural reverence for their history,” Adylbek Kasymaliev said.
Adylbek Kasymaliev arrived in Belarus on an official visit on 28 September. The Kyrgyz head of government held talks with Belarusian Prime Minister Aleksandr Turchin in both one-on-one and expanded formats, following which the parties signed a series of documents. While in Minsk, the prime minister of Kyrgyzstan also participated in a meeting of the CIS Heads of Government Council and visited the INNOPROM. Belarus exhibition.
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