MINSK, 3 February (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko received credentials from ambassadors of eight states, including the Russian Federation, BelTA has learned.
The credentials were handed over to the president by the diplomats of Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Laos, Morocco, Nigeria, Russia, the Republic of Chad and Sri Lanka. By tradition, Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke about Belarus' cooperation with each of these states.
Russia
Welcoming Russian Ambassador Boris Gryzlov, the president said: "You are a long-time friend of Belarus and we appreciate your great services to the cooperation between our countries." Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
According to the head of state, big, ambitious tasks are ahead of Minsk and Moscow. "2021 went down in the history of our states as the year of fateful decisions to advance economic integration, which will bring our strategic partnership to a qualitatively new level. I very much hope that, being a very experienced politician in the Russian state and on the international scale, you will contribute to the multifaceted Belarusian-Russian ties and integration," Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
Vietnam
Belarus intends to step up cooperation with countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, the head of state noted. “We call these regions the ‘distant arc' because of their remoteness. However, many of these countries are our close allies and partners when it comes to politics and economy,” he said.
Addressing the representatives of the Asian states, the president emphasized: “Our successful political cooperation has paved the way for economic cooperation. We count on even stronger relations in the future.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that the year of 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Belarus and Vietnam. “Our nations have much in common: we both fought against external aggressors and won our right to build sovereign and independent states,” the Belarusian leader said.
Laos
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus would like to give a fresh impetus to friendly relations with Laos. In his opinion, Belarus can meet many needs of the Laotian economy. “Laos is going for a major push to develop its industry, agriculture, science and technology. Our country is ready to offer its expertise and knowledge,” the president said.
Sri Lanka
Speaking about Sri Lanka, the head of state recalled that two years ago the two countries marked the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Over this period significant progress has been achieved in building contacts in politics, education and trade. “Belarus has something to offer to Sri Lanka to make its agriculture more efficient: from special-purpose equipment to ready-made technological projects for harvesting and storing crops. Our relations are quite vibrant and we are ready to add momentum,” Aleksandr Lukashenko assured.
Morocco
The Belarusian leader noted that there is a lot of untapped potential in cooperation with African countries. “The Kingdom of Morocco is an important trading partner of Belarus in the north of this continent. The bilateral trade can do much better. Cooperation in agriculture, industry and humanitarian matters holds a lot of promise, too.”
Nigeria
“Belarus views the Federal Republic of Nigeria as an important and promising economic partner. In our opinion, we are able to significantly grow the bilateral trade,” the president is convinced.
He believes that Belarus' participation in agricultural mechanization, infrastructure development and extraction of minerals in Nigeria will bring cooperation to a higher level.
The Republic of Chad
Belarus would like to intensify contacts in all areas of bilateral cooperation with the Republic of Chad. “Large mineral deposits have been discovered in your country, while Belarus has the necessary mining machinery and equipment. We are also ready to build effective partnerships with local agricultural companies. We can offer automotive and road construction equipment, medicines and food,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Dominican Republic
Addressing the ambassador of the Dominican Republic, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that Belarus highly appreciates the constructive and mutually respectful relations with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We have everything in place to give an impetus to interstate ties with the Dominican Republic. Despite the distance, we have many points of contact. The economies of Belarus and the Dominican Republic are largely complementary,” the head of state said.
“I believe that many of you have already thoroughly studied the structure of the Belarusian economy and, perhaps, have identified the most promising avenues of cooperation,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president added that it is also important that foreign diplomats find time to learn the rich history and original culture and traditions of the country, and to experience the hospitality of the people. “I have no doubt that you will find good friends here,” the head of state said. “I really want this period in your life to remain memorable and very productive,” he added.
