Kochanova: Syria is Belarus’ reliable partner in Middle East
The Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly, Natalya Kochanova, has met today with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Syrian Arab Republic to Belarus, Mohammad Aloumrani
“Syria has always been and remains a reliable partner of Belarus in the Middle East. Our peoples know each other well and are very friendly. We have achieved this thanks to the interaction built by our top officials. It includes good relations between Aleksandr Lukashenko and Bashar al-Assad, which have been developing for many years, and also relations between our governments, ministries and departments. This is very important for us,” Ms. Kochanova said.
As noted by the Chairperson of the Council of the Republic, the Belarusian authorities and citizens of the country have always supported Syrians in their desire to preserve independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. With this in view, official visits and meetings held regularly indicate Belarus' readiness to continue supporting Syria in these difficult conditions. Actually, Syria has also always supported Belarus, including on international platforms, and beyond.
“The President of our country often said that we are ready to render any assistance to Syrians,” Ms. Kochanova said, adding, “I can assure you that this is true. The mutual support – which our countries enjoy – deserves respect. Today, while experiencing sanctions pressure from Western countries, we should definitely unite to put a reliable barrier against these attempts to introduce destructiveness or somehow interfere in our countries’ internal affairs. This is unacceptable.”
Ms. Kochanova drew special attention to inter-parliamentary co-operation between Belarus and Syria, informing that the functioning inter-parliamentary committee is not yet fully involved into the process. During the pandemic, parliamentarians can meet online.
“In this difficult geopolitical situation that is developing in the world, the role of parliamentarians should become much more serious, and we should work together in this field – for the benefit of our peoples and countries. After all, Belarus and Syria co-operate in completely diverse directions; i.e. co-operation in the field of education is developing, and agreements are being signed. We are happy when young people from Syria come to us, and I know that they really like Belarus. They get acquainted with Belarusians and make friends here. Such friendship is the key to future co-operation between the two countries,” she added.
By now, about three dozen different co-operation agreements have been signed between Syria and Belarus, and Ms. Kochanova expressed confidence that – when the coronavirus situation stabilises and logistics issues are resolved – trade and economic liaisons will be intensified.
During the meeting, the sides also discussed the prospects for development of Belarus-Syria co-operation in other areas – acknowledging that the countries enjoy a good potential for interaction.
