Promising co-operation with Africa

Belarus is committed to co-operating with Africa, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with a delegation of the Pan-African Parliament in Minsk. This is the first visit of such a representative delegation of the Pan-African Parliament to Belarus. The delegation is led by PAP President Fortune Zephania Charumbira.  The Head of State emphasised that he had been following the development of relations between the Belarusian Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament for a long time.

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According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, it was under the chairmanship of Fortune Zephania Charumbira that the interaction became more active. “The fact that we have made progress in promoting co-operation is not surprising to me. After all, you, Mr Charumbira, are a Zimbabwean, which means that you are a representative of a very friendly state,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked. The Belarusian leader asked him to convey his warmest wishes to Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on his return. “We are looking forward to his visit to Minsk this year,” the President said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Belarus supports African partners in their efforts to produce food from domestic resources and to be independent of external factors.

“Since 2020, Zimbabwe has been working with us on a successful agricultural mechanisation programme. You should be assured that we will continue our drive in this regard if it is to your advantage. Egypt, Algeria, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and other countries are interested in the Belarusian experience in the development of the agricultural sector,” the President said. “In general, our co-operation with African countries looks promising. We see interest from your side as well,” the Head of State said.

The President noted that representatives of different regions of the African continent are present at the meeting. Among them are Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa Refilwe Maria Mtsweni-Tsipane, Member of the Pan-African Parliament, Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Cape Verde Carla Solange Fortes Lima and Member of the Pan-African Parliament, Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya Esther Muthoni Passaris.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Belarus attaches great importance to building a comprehensive partnership with the Republic of South Africa. “This concerns co-operation in the mining industry, energy sector, agriculture, science and education. The project to assemble tractors based on Belarusian technologies is also very important,” the Head of State said listing promising avenues of co-operation.
Belarusian-Kenyan relations are also steadily developing. “At the end of 2023, I had very constructive, cordial and friendly talks with Kenya President William Ruto in Nairobi. I hope for our further interaction. I have officially invited the President of Kenya to pay an official visit to Belarus and I look forward to seeing him at any time,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I know Kenya’s interest in ensuring its own food security and industrial development. We can make our contribution to the realisation of these crucial tasks,” the President said.

As for relations with Cape Verde, they are not yet active. “But in recent years we have been paying great attention to West Africa. A number of promising projects are being implemented in the region in the field of agriculture, healthcare, management of emergency situations. I hope that your visit to Minsk will give impetus to further contacts,” the Head of State said addressing Carla Solange Fortes Lima.
Aleksandr Lukashenko once again emphasised the readiness for dialogue with African states. “I would like to hear your impressions from your visit to Belarus, your wishes and proposals for liaison in specific areas. It is very important for us to establish close co-operation with you. It would be a good outcome of your stay in Belarus and a signal to the leadership of your countries and also other African countries,” the Belarusian leader summarised.

‘Belarus deserves to be an example to follow’

The Presidential election in Belarus was held in accordance with all standards of democracy — as stated by Fortune Charumbira, Chairman of the Pan-African Parliament, after his meeting with President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Sharing his impressions of the election observation, Fortune Charumbira emphasised, “Your election simply has nothing to compare with, it is the best and meets all standards of democracy and transparency. It was a great honour for me to observe your election. I would like to wish and ask the people of Belarus: support your President, do not pay attention to your enemies who are trying to put pressure on you in some way. Bear your strength in mind and go forward with it.”
He regretted that Africa still knows very little about the post-Soviet states, “We recently visited Azerbaijan and saw a highly developed country with a developed infrastructure that is not inferior to any other European state. The same is true for Belarus. Of course, I knew that Belarus has a very well-developed agriculture, tractor and bus production. But I didn’t know anything else, and neither did my colleagues. We didn’t have a big picture in mind. As we were driving from the airport to the hotel, we saw your houses, your beautiful avenues, later we visited your production facilities. And when we saw it all with our own eyes, I began to regret that we did not know where to move before. We should have gone to Belarus. Belarus deserves to be an example to follow.”

BELARUS’ CITIZENS TO BE GRANTED THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN RUSSIA’S ELECTIONS

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 42, which approved the draft protocol on amendments to the agreement between Belarus and Russia on equal rights of citizens as of December 25th, 1998 as a basis for negotiations.
The draft protocol establishes the possibility for Belarusian and Russian citizens permanently residing in the territory of the other state to participate in local elections on a mutual basis — to elect and be elected to local government bodies.
The document is the result of purposeful work carried out in Belarus to ensure equal rights of Belarusian and Russian citizens, including electoral rights, since until now Belarusian citizens permanently residing in Russia have not been able to participate in local elections.

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by