MINSK, 1 March (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko plans to visit China in April to attend the 2nd Belt and Road Forum. The head of state made a corresponding statement as he met with community leaders, experts, Belarusian and foreign media on 1 March, BelTA has learned.
“We are ready to attend this event centered around the Silk Road initiative,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed. He said that during the 1st Belt and Road Forum heads of several countries partaking in it suggested holding this event on a regular basis.
The president noted that he received an invitation from the president of the People's Republic of China to take part in the forthcoming forum in April 2019 and answered in the affirmative. “The Belarusian side will attend this forum, then we will meet in Bishkek in June, at the session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We have a rather busy schedule. Moreover, I will reveal a secret: Xi Jinping suggested holding a meeting in Beijing apart from that. According to the head of state, the meeting was initially scheduled for March, but the plans have changed because Alexander Lukashenko will attend the summit in China in April.”
“At this stage, in view of the changed conditions, the situation around Belarus and especially around the People's Republic of China, it is essential for us to meet and discuss our cooperation in these conditions,” the head of state said.
In May 2017 the president of Belarus took part in the 1st Belt and Road Forum together with leaders of 29 countries and heads of international organizations. The forum focused on the enhancement of economic interaction between the states included in the Silk Road Economic Belt, particularly, the formation of the transport, energy and trade corridor between Asian and European countries.
