Article by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko “Belarus and Oman: Traditions of Friendship in a Changing World”
The article by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko “Belarus and Oman: Traditions of Friendship in a Changing World” was published on the website of the Omandaily newspaper. The publication is timed to coincide with the working visit of the Belarusian head of state to Oman.
An Arab proverb says that friendship is a gift from the Almighty, and we should cherish it.
The friendship between Belarus and Oman has a history of over 30 years. And all these years we have been consistently strengthening it, looking for new opportunities to expand relations. We did it carefully, in an oriental manner, in a balanced and thoughtful way, trying to tread cautiously.
Your beautiful country has a long history, amazing nature and wonderful, hospitable people. The first time I visited it was in 2007. And the more I got to know Oman, the better I realized how close we are in mentality although we are separated by thousands of kilometers.
“But there is nothing surprising that our views on life and worldview are very similar. Time has not spared our ancestors, who by the will of fate found themselves on the routes of human settlement in Eurasia and Africa, crossroads of trade and crossroads of civilizations.
This is probably, among other reasons, why we have no deep disagreements. We share similar views on many topical issues on the international agenda.
The modern world has not become simpler. It is torn by contradictions. Today, no one is able to guarantee our security and well-being. The current generation, just like a couple of centuries ago, has to solve very complex universal tasks.
Minsk and Muscat have set on a course to ensure the inviolability of the two basic priorities.
The first and most important thing is building a welfare state, where the real concern for people is not just a slogan, but a policy. We once proclaimed that Belarus is a state for people.
Belarus and Oman are similar in this. The government program Oman Vision 2040, impressive in its scale and ambitious in its goals, lays the foundation for prosperity and demonstrates truly strategic thinking of the leadership of the Sultanate of Oman and their concern for future generations. And we are absolutely aligned with this vision.
The second biggest priority is building and maintaining conflict-free relations with all countries regardless of their size, political weight and influence in international affairs. Belarus and Oman, each in their respective region, are well known for their de-escalation efforts and peace initiatives. Life proves every day that investment in peace and security is the best investment, as it allows planning development in many areas. Belarusians are exceptionally hospitable and peaceful people by nature. We are always glad to have good friends and want to live in peace with everyone.
Belarusians are, by their very nature, extremely hospitable and peaceful people. We always welcome good friends and want to live in peace with everyone. Our national anthem begins with the words “We Belarusians are peaceful people...” This is not a play on words. It is the quintessence of our historical path.
What is Belarus? What is it like? Probably, it would be right to start by briefly describing my country.
The Republic of Belarus occupies an extremely important place in terms of geopolitics, being the geographical center of Europe. We have historically been a bridge between East and West, North and South of the Eurasian continent.
This circumstance, on the one hand, has always determined the key role of Belarus in regional politics, and on the other hand, has been the source of many troubles for the Belarusian people. Our land has been in the epicenter of wars and military conflicts for centuries.
As a result of the Second World War, which has entered our history as the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, we lost a third of our population. The economy of Belarus was almost completely destroyed, cities lay in ruins, thousands of villages were burned down, many together with their inhabitants.
For the huge sacrifices of the war, Belarus was honored to become one of the founding countries of the United Nations.
Thanks to the Soviet Union, of which Belarus was a part, we were able not only to quickly restore our pre-war level of development but also to make impressive exponential advances.
The next misfortune caught up with us in 1986, when an accident happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a man-made disaster of the century. Despite the fact that the NPP was located in the neighboring Ukraine, it was the Belarusian people who suffered the greatest damage. Suffice it to say that its amount exceeded 25 budgets of our country for 1986.
That period was a time of a deep economic crisis caused by the collapse of the USSR, which severed vital cooperative ties, cut off supplies of inexpensive raw materials and markets for finished products.
Belarus gained independence in 1990 against the backdrop of such economic and political challenges. The main task back then was to literally pull the country away from the brink.
We did not just do this. We completely rebuilt the economy, turned key enterprises around, preserved scientific and design competences, ensured the unity of government at all levels.
Today, the Republic of Belarus has a competitive export-oriented economy, and its products are known throughout the world. We fully ensure our food security on our own and export agricultural products worth a total of about $8 billion. Being a landlocked country, Belarus has managed to create its own fishing fleet and fish processing industry relying on the most advanced technologies. Some 30% of the global market for quarry dump trucks is held by our powerful BelAZ dump trucks. And the BelAZ-75710 with a lifting capacity of 450 tonnes was acknowledged by the Guinness World Records.
Belarus, like Oman, runs space programs. We are developing nuclear energy and exploring Antarctica.
That said, Belarus is not rich in natural resources (including hydrocarbons).
I know that Oman is working to diversify its economy away from oil, which demonstrates a great vision of the Omani leadership.
From my own experience, I can say that the key resource is people.
Their hard work helps Belarus overcome the incredible political and economic pressure on our country and achieve success.
The people are the pillar of the state. Our gold and oil are the intellectual potential of the nation.
I am convinced that momentum in Belarusian-Omani relations may translate intoa new point of growth for both economies and a stimulus for the development of human capital. This is evidenced by the current level of political contacts and the groundwork we have created. But there is also a huge unrealized potential.
Trade and economic relations are the strong foundation on which we can erect a building of bilateral cooperation as tall as we want.
What can Belarus offer to Oman?
First of all, Belarus has well-developed mechanical engineering, chemical industry, food and light industries.
We have world-class advanced petrochemical enterprises.
Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals are among our priority areas of development. To cite just one fact: more than half of medicines in the country are domestically produced. This share is growing. Belarus produces a number of unique drugs for the treatment of cancer, immune and cardiovascular diseases.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that the high quality of Belarusian medicine and advanced treatment technologies have become another hallmark of the country. Thus, the infant mortality rate in Belarus is one of the lowest in the world, and modern Belarusian transplantology is an advanced industry. We treat patients from all corners of the world, even in the most hopeless cases. We are ready to provide our Omani friends with the opportunity to be treated by highly professional doctors, to cooperate in the training of medical personnel and exchange of best practices.
Belarus can also offer a wide range of high-technology products and solutions, from electric buses and software for smart cities to drones, nanomaterials and satellites.
Belarusian exporters are ready to jointly build presence in new markets as part of Oman's national program to attract foreign investment.
Taking into consideration its location, Minsk also seeks to raise high-quality foreign direct investment in order to turn into an international trade, logistics and manufacturing hub. Belarus offers excellent business opportunities for Omani companies looking for investment in non-resource industries. Such a partnership will help build up production capacities in various sectors of the economy and increase the contribution of exports to the GDP of our countries.Belarus and Oman effectively cooperated in Arabic language studies.It is time to expand our educational partnerships. Belarusian educational institutions can train managerial personnel and blue-collar workers for the Omani economy in such fields as engineering, medicine and other areas.
Currently, the governments of Belarus and Oman are working to ease travel between the two countries. The immediate plans include launching a direct flight between the two countries.We invite business people, students, and tourists to visit Belarus. We have something to offer!
Partners from Oman, like everyone else, will appreciate the work ethic of Belarusians. We stick to our commitments no matter what. I believe that the dynamics of Belarus-Oman relations will soon translate into tangible benefits for our people and help build prosperity for future generations.
