Partners on all continents

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko accepted letters of credence from ambassadors in Vietman, the Dominican Republic, Laos, Morocco, Nigeria, Russia, the Republic of Chad and Sri Lanka

The President declared that the diplomats had arrived in Belarus at a landmark time — on February 27th, a republican referendum on amending the Constitution would be held in the country.
“It is of principal importance that our people themselves determine the further development of Belarus. I would like to particularly note there is no pressure from outside. That is why we believe this political campaign is fully in line with all democratic norms.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed: to better understand how Belarus lives today, it is necessary to know how the Belarusian people won their freedom and the right to live in their own state.
“The most tragic page in our history is World War II which took away the lives of at least every third Belarusian. I would like to emphasise that our people were mercilessly destroyed not by some wild hordes of barbarians but by representatives of the most enlightened nations of Europe that, decades later, begin to teach us how to live.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko added that the situation in the world is dangerous due to its unpredictability and can enter a hot phase at any moment.
The President spoke on the cooperation of Belarus with each of the states whose ambassadors presented their letters of credence that day.

Russia
According to the President, Minsk and Moscow face big and ambitious tasks, “2021 went down in the history of our countries as a year of making fateful decisions on deepening economic integration that will bring our strategic partnership to a qualitatively new level. I really hope that in your professional activities you, being a most experienced leader in Russia, as well as on a global scale, will contribute to the strengthening of multifaceted Belarusian-Russian relations and the development of integration cooperation.”

Vietnam 
Belarus intends to intensify cooperation with the states of Asia, Africa and Latin America, the President assured.
“We refer to these regions as the ‘far arc’ ones based on their geographical position. However, politically and economically, many of these countries are our close allies and partners,” said the Belarusian leader. “2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Belarus and Vietnam. Our peoples have much in common: we fought together against external aggressors and won our right to build sovereign and independent states.”

Laos
The President mentioned our country’s interest in giving a new quality to traditionally friendly relations with Laos. The capabilities of Belarus can to a great extent meet the needs of the Laotian economy.
The Head of State noted, “As is known, today Laos is striving to develop industry, agriculture, science and technology. Our country is ready to offer you its knowledge and experience.”

Sri Lanka
Speaking on cooperation with Sri Lanka, Aleksandr Lukashenko observed that our countries had made significant progress in the development of political contacts, trade and cooperation in the field of education.
Aleksandr Lukashenko assured, “Belarus has something to offer Sri Lanka to improve the efficiency of its agricultural sector: from special equipment to ready-made technological projects in harvesting and storing crops. Our relations are developing dynamically. We are ready to give this momentum even greater scope.”

Morocco
The President drew attention to the prospects of economic cooperation, “The Kingdom of Morocco is an important trade partner of Belarus in the north of the African continent. We have significant untapped potential for trade development. Great prospects are opening up in agriculture, industry, as well as in the humanitarian field.”

Nigeria
Belarus considers the Federal Republic of Nigeria as an important and promising foreign economic partner. The countries can significantly advance in mutual trade, the President is convinced.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, participation of Belarus in the mechanisation of agriculture in Nigeria, in the development of infrastructure and in the implementation of joint projects in mining will bring cooperation to a higher level.

Republic of Chad
The President asserted the interest of Belarus in intensifying contacts with the Republic of Chad in all areas of bilateral cooperation, “Large reserves of minerals have been explored in your country, and Belarus has the necessary mining machinery and equipment. We are also ready to establish effective partnerships with local companies in agriculture. We can offer automotive and road construction equipment, medicines and food products.”

Dominican Republic
Addressing the ambassador in the Dominican Republic, Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that Belarus highly appreciated constructive and mutually respectful relations with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“We see good prospects for intensifying interstate relations with the Dominican Republic. Despite the geographical distance, we have many points of contact. The economies of Belarus and the Dominican Republic are complementary in many ways.”

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by
Photo by BELTA