MINSK, 25 March (BelTA) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Askar Beisenbayev has thanked the Belarusian side for assistance with resolving problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The ambassador made the statement after meeting with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko on 25 March, BelTA has learned.
The ambassador remarked upon the friendly nature of Belarus-Kazakhstan relations. He said he believes them to be an exemplary model of interstate relations. In his words, such tight cooperation stems from good relations between leaders of the two countries – the first president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Cooperation continues. Plans have been made to arrange a visit of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Minsk and meetings of the heads of state within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The organization celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and Belarus presides over the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The ambassador noted that the visit of the Belarusian head of state to Kazakhstan in 2019 gave additional dynamics to relations. Belarus-Kazakhstan trade had been less than $800 million before that. In 2019 Belarus-Kazakhstan trade exceeded $1 billion and reached $1.2 billion. Unfortunately, the pandemic had an effect [and Belarus-Kazakhstan trade dropped in 2020) but cooperation between the two countries remains active, the ambassador noted. Askar Beisenbayev believes it is necessary to advance cooperation, develop manufacturing cooperation and relations in such spheres as agribusiness and civil engineering.
Askar Beisenbayev was particularly grateful to the Belarusian side for assistance with resolving problems caused by the coronavirus. In particular, upon a Kazakh request a Belarusian company made materials for an infectious diseases hospital under construction within a very short period of time. These materials were delivered thanks to the Belarusian air carrier Belavia and transported to three hospitals under construction in Kazakhstan, the ambassador noted. He also stressed the role of the Belarusian air carrier, which air service remained available while others' was not. Belavia has also helped many Kazakh citizens return to Kazakhstan.
