Aleksandr Lukashenko receives credentials from foreign ambassadors
- 12
Belarus adheres to multi-vector foreign policy and is eager to build solid relations based on mutually beneficial cooperation and friendship with foreign partners, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he received credentials from foreign ambassadors.
The head of state received credentials from ambassadors of Ukraine, Finland, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Egypt, South Korea, Nepal, Thailand and New Zealand.
“It is rather symbolic that your responsible mission begins in anticipation of our main national holiday – Independence Day. This is the sacred date for the Belarusians as Minsk was liberated from Nazi occupation on 3 July. It has become the symbol of independence of the Belarusian state. Historical memory of tenacity and heroism of the nation in the fight against fascism, of the countless deaths for sake of the Great Victory united people, determined worldview basics and moral values of the nation,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said addressing the diplomats.
“Respect for the right of every nation to choose its own path of development, peacefulness and solidarity, rejection of dictate and injustice are the hard won principles which are fundamental for our life. They shape Belarus’ approaches in international relations, determine the foreign policy of our young and sovereign state. That is why it is no accident that Belarus has a deserved reputation of the donor of regional and global security,” the President remarked.
“We adhere to multi-vector foreign policy and are eager to build solid relations based on mutually beneficial cooperation and friendship with foreign partners. Belarus is ready to support all good undertakings for the benefit of our nations and often initiates promising joint projects,” the head of state assured.
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out increasingly vibrant business activity and the emergence of new areas of mutual interest. “We are glad to expand contacts all over the world, welcome new friends and partners. But we especially value those who we trust, with whom we closely cooperate and have good traditions of friendly relations,” the President emphasized.
“First of all, I would like to emphasize our strong determination to foster ties with Ukraine, our closest neighbor and a most reliable partner. My recent official visit to Ukraine was another testimony to our mutual engagement and commitment of our governments to a constructive approach to the bilateral agenda,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.
“We agree with each other that we need to promote the political dialogue, boost economic ties and intensify the entire spectrum of the interstate cooperation. We should take into consideration new large-scale integration processes going on in the former Soviet Union republics,” the head of state believes.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Belarus maintains an unwavering focus on cooperation with European countries. In particular, Belarus counts on deeper investment cooperation with Finland and Switzerland.
According to the head of state, Finland is a key trading and economic partner of Belarus in North Europe. “We have many common interests, an objective mutual interest in expanding cooperation across a number of areas. We would like to raise Finnish investments and technologies in such promising areas as power engineering, woodworking, mechanical engineering, construction and the banking sector,” the President said. He noted that the existing contacts fall short of the real needs of the two countries.
“We strongly hope that a reasonable position of Finland aimed at maintaining a stable and vigorous cooperation and good neighborly relations in the Baltic region, will contribute to fostering a constructive dialogue between our countries,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.
The head of state reminded that some time ago Belarus and Finland launched a program to promote the use of unconventional energy sources. “We would like to have a long-term program. We are ready to purchase your equipment. We need to hold talks and expand our ties. We are sincerely interested in your expertise and knowledge in management and governance, from sport to economy,” the President said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko confirmed that Belarus is interested in a full-fledged cooperation with Switzerland. “In recent years business ties between our countries have been increasingly vibrant. A number of Swiss investment projects are being implemented in Belarus. Let the success of these projects contribute to the intensification of our contacts. We need to move forward. Promising cooperation areas include manufacturing, science and innovations, financial ties, culture and tourism,” the Belarusian head of state said.
Speaking about cooperation with Switzerland, the head of state mentioned a joint venture to produce electric trains and trams in Belarus.
Belarus views Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro as promising partners in the Balkan region. “Your countries’ commitment to close integration with the European Union should never be an obstacle to the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with our state. We are prepared for expansion of relations in the areas of mutual interest and for enhancement of the level of contacts,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I am convinced that bolstering trade and economic ties with your countries will promote interstate all-round cooperation, including in the political area. We deem it necessary to intensify cooperation ties and investment collaboration in the areas such as energy, agriculture, tourism, hotel business,” he added.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, he would like Belarus to have the same good relations as it enjoys with Serbia with other states of the region. “We have something to say to each other. There is openness and trust. I understand your commitment to the EU accession, but I believe it should not block our bilateral cooperation,” the head of state added.
The head of state stressed that Belarus and South Korea have always sought to engage in a constructive dialogue. Information technology has become this year’s new theme of the bilateral dialogue. Belarusian government bodies have started a large-scale work together with South Korean partners on the implementation of the e-government project in Belarus. “I hope that our cooperation in the field of information technology will be long-term. Indeed, e-government is just one of many innovative areas that are of great interest to us. Being guided by this example of cooperation, we need to look for new projects. There are a lot of them, especially in the context of the modernization program that is underway in our country,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
According to the President, Belarus is closely watching the developments in Egypt and views the country as one of the key partners in North Africa, an active and influential participant in the process of resolving the thorny regional problems. “I hope that by joint efforts we will be able not only to restore the previous level of bilateral ties, but also to go further, extending the scope of our trade and economic interaction,” the head of state stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that Belarus has been steadily increasing its presence in Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania. “Staying committed to the selected course, we have been consistent in building up a constructive dialogue with every state of the region, among which is New Zealand too. We have no disagreements that can hinder development of trade and economic cooperation. We have issues of shared interest, and it is agriculture in the first place. I am confident we will find even more areas of common interest and opportunities for cooperation during the dialogue,” the head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that an important vector of the Belarusian foreign policy in the region is the development of relations with Thailand. “Last year Thailand was our biggest trading partner in the region. We still have a huge untapped potential for closer cooperation, including in mechanical engineering, agriculture, information technology, electronic industry,” the Belarusian head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also expressed Belarus’ interest in bolstering contacts with Nepal. “We still have an untapped potential for bilateral cooperation. We only need to find promising areas of future mutually beneficial partnership. The Belarusian side counts on intensification of the process,” he said.
Addressing the diplomats, the President said that at the beginning of their work in Belarus they will be convinced that Belarus is sincerely committed to respectful and constructive dialogue. “On behalf of Belarusian partners you will see commitment to constructive and productive joint work and readiness to resolve any urgent issues. Let relations with the countries that you represent become a good example of friendship and genuine business partnership,” Aleksandr Lukashenko wished.
The head of state received credentials from ambassadors of Ukraine, Finland, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Egypt, South Korea, Nepal, Thailand and New Zealand.
“It is rather symbolic that your responsible mission begins in anticipation of our main national holiday – Independence Day. This is the sacred date for the Belarusians as Minsk was liberated from Nazi occupation on 3 July. It has become the symbol of independence of the Belarusian state. Historical memory of tenacity and heroism of the nation in the fight against fascism, of the countless deaths for sake of the Great Victory united people, determined worldview basics and moral values of the nation,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said addressing the diplomats.
“Respect for the right of every nation to choose its own path of development, peacefulness and solidarity, rejection of dictate and injustice are the hard won principles which are fundamental for our life. They shape Belarus’ approaches in international relations, determine the foreign policy of our young and sovereign state. That is why it is no accident that Belarus has a deserved reputation of the donor of regional and global security,” the President remarked.
“We adhere to multi-vector foreign policy and are eager to build solid relations based on mutually beneficial cooperation and friendship with foreign partners. Belarus is ready to support all good undertakings for the benefit of our nations and often initiates promising joint projects,” the head of state assured.
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out increasingly vibrant business activity and the emergence of new areas of mutual interest. “We are glad to expand contacts all over the world, welcome new friends and partners. But we especially value those who we trust, with whom we closely cooperate and have good traditions of friendly relations,” the President emphasized.
“First of all, I would like to emphasize our strong determination to foster ties with Ukraine, our closest neighbor and a most reliable partner. My recent official visit to Ukraine was another testimony to our mutual engagement and commitment of our governments to a constructive approach to the bilateral agenda,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.
“We agree with each other that we need to promote the political dialogue, boost economic ties and intensify the entire spectrum of the interstate cooperation. We should take into consideration new large-scale integration processes going on in the former Soviet Union republics,” the head of state believes.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Belarus maintains an unwavering focus on cooperation with European countries. In particular, Belarus counts on deeper investment cooperation with Finland and Switzerland.
According to the head of state, Finland is a key trading and economic partner of Belarus in North Europe. “We have many common interests, an objective mutual interest in expanding cooperation across a number of areas. We would like to raise Finnish investments and technologies in such promising areas as power engineering, woodworking, mechanical engineering, construction and the banking sector,” the President said. He noted that the existing contacts fall short of the real needs of the two countries.
“We strongly hope that a reasonable position of Finland aimed at maintaining a stable and vigorous cooperation and good neighborly relations in the Baltic region, will contribute to fostering a constructive dialogue between our countries,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.
The head of state reminded that some time ago Belarus and Finland launched a program to promote the use of unconventional energy sources. “We would like to have a long-term program. We are ready to purchase your equipment. We need to hold talks and expand our ties. We are sincerely interested in your expertise and knowledge in management and governance, from sport to economy,” the President said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko confirmed that Belarus is interested in a full-fledged cooperation with Switzerland. “In recent years business ties between our countries have been increasingly vibrant. A number of Swiss investment projects are being implemented in Belarus. Let the success of these projects contribute to the intensification of our contacts. We need to move forward. Promising cooperation areas include manufacturing, science and innovations, financial ties, culture and tourism,” the Belarusian head of state said.
Speaking about cooperation with Switzerland, the head of state mentioned a joint venture to produce electric trains and trams in Belarus.
Belarus views Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro as promising partners in the Balkan region. “Your countries’ commitment to close integration with the European Union should never be an obstacle to the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with our state. We are prepared for expansion of relations in the areas of mutual interest and for enhancement of the level of contacts,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I am convinced that bolstering trade and economic ties with your countries will promote interstate all-round cooperation, including in the political area. We deem it necessary to intensify cooperation ties and investment collaboration in the areas such as energy, agriculture, tourism, hotel business,” he added.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, he would like Belarus to have the same good relations as it enjoys with Serbia with other states of the region. “We have something to say to each other. There is openness and trust. I understand your commitment to the EU accession, but I believe it should not block our bilateral cooperation,” the head of state added.
The head of state stressed that Belarus and South Korea have always sought to engage in a constructive dialogue. Information technology has become this year’s new theme of the bilateral dialogue. Belarusian government bodies have started a large-scale work together with South Korean partners on the implementation of the e-government project in Belarus. “I hope that our cooperation in the field of information technology will be long-term. Indeed, e-government is just one of many innovative areas that are of great interest to us. Being guided by this example of cooperation, we need to look for new projects. There are a lot of them, especially in the context of the modernization program that is underway in our country,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
According to the President, Belarus is closely watching the developments in Egypt and views the country as one of the key partners in North Africa, an active and influential participant in the process of resolving the thorny regional problems. “I hope that by joint efforts we will be able not only to restore the previous level of bilateral ties, but also to go further, extending the scope of our trade and economic interaction,” the head of state stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that Belarus has been steadily increasing its presence in Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania. “Staying committed to the selected course, we have been consistent in building up a constructive dialogue with every state of the region, among which is New Zealand too. We have no disagreements that can hinder development of trade and economic cooperation. We have issues of shared interest, and it is agriculture in the first place. I am confident we will find even more areas of common interest and opportunities for cooperation during the dialogue,” the head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that an important vector of the Belarusian foreign policy in the region is the development of relations with Thailand. “Last year Thailand was our biggest trading partner in the region. We still have a huge untapped potential for closer cooperation, including in mechanical engineering, agriculture, information technology, electronic industry,” the Belarusian head of state said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also expressed Belarus’ interest in bolstering contacts with Nepal. “We still have an untapped potential for bilateral cooperation. We only need to find promising areas of future mutually beneficial partnership. The Belarusian side counts on intensification of the process,” he said.
Addressing the diplomats, the President said that at the beginning of their work in Belarus they will be convinced that Belarus is sincerely committed to respectful and constructive dialogue. “On behalf of Belarusian partners you will see commitment to constructive and productive joint work and readiness to resolve any urgent issues. Let relations with the countries that you represent become a good example of friendship and genuine business partnership,” Aleksandr Lukashenko wished.