Aleksandr Lukashenko meets with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian

At the meeting with Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian on 21 April Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested discussing Eurasian integration and Armenia’s participation in it.

“There are things we should discuss. There are also a number of international issues we have to touch upon. You are not only well informed about all these matters, but you also have to deal with them. Therefore, it is very important for us to exchange views, including views on the matters related to the Single Economic Space,” the Belarusian President said.

“Work is underway to fulfill the tasks stipulated by the roadmap. Armenia is actively working on it. I would like to hear your position, your point of view, as a meeting of the heads of state of the Customs Union and the SES member states will be held in a couple of days in Minsk,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The Belarusian head of state said that he is satisfied with the progress in promoting Belarus-Armenia cooperation. “The bilateral trade is not that big. Maybe, it will never be. However, taking into consideration that we did not trade at all in the past, we have made a huge progress. I see that Armenia is interested in purchasing Belarusian products. We also buy what Armenia can offer and what we do not produce,” the Belarusian leader said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed to the active operation of Armenian investors in Belarus. “They will always be welcome here. Armenia is an allied nation. Armenia is our friend, our partner, and we will keep working to build up very close relations with this country,” the Belarusian head of state said.

Edward Nalbandian said that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan gave his best regards to the President of Belarus. The Armenian Foreign Minister noted that Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit to Armenia in 2013 gave a strong impetus to the promotion of the bilateral relations. Edward Nalbandian emphasized that the bilateral cooperation is on the rise in all the fields, including interregional ties.

According to him, this pertains to the bilateral trade that made up about $50 million in 2013. “On our part, we will try to expand our cooperation in trade, economy and other fields together with Belarusian companies,” the minister said.

Speaking about Eurasian integration, Edward Nalbandian noted that the meeting is a great opportunity to discuss Armenia’s efforts to join the Customs Union prior to the summits in Belarus and Kazakhstan. “The roadmap has already been carried out. The commission will probably present a report on it at the forthcoming summit in Minsk,” he said.