Belarus is an important international partner of India, emphasised the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, on speaking to BelTA on the eve of his official visit to Belarus. He underlined, “India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with Belarus after its independence in 1991. Former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi visited Minsk in 1985, as part of his visit to the Soviet Union. I’m greatly honoured to be the first Indian President to visit Belarus. My visit is intended to take our relations with Belarus to a higher level.”
In his words, India is a vast market and economic giant that wishes to see rapid and significant enhancement of its ties with Belarus. “Belarus is the centre of Eurasia; it’s a bridge between Europe and Asia. The development of mutual co-operation will undoubtedly benefit both our peoples. I hope that the first official visit of the Indian President to Belarus will promote our bilateral relationships and expand our interaction across many areas,” added President Mukherjee. His visit to Belarus is taking place on June 2nd-4th.
By Marta Astreiko
