Events

BEIJING, 15 May (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko held a bilateral meeting with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Beijing on 15 May, BelTA has learned.

The talks took place on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum, which events were held in the Yanqi Lake International Convention Center located in Beijing suburbs.

Alexander Lukashenko and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the progress made in the implementation of the earlier-reached agreements and also the prospects for cooperation between the two states in different areas.

Belarus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei told the media about the results of the meeting. In his words, the talks between the two leaders were productive. “Despite the worsened economic situation worldwide, our trade has been on the rise. We have not reached the target of $1 billion in trade set forth by the two presidents, but we are well on our way. Last year, for instance, we had $814 million in mutual trade, a 36% increase,” the diplomat said.

The two countries are set to intensify efforts on setting up joint plants to assemble harvesters and automotive equipment. Alexander Lukashenko and Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked over the development of the security situation in the region.

“The presidents agreed that in the near future the joint intergovernmental commission will hold a meeting, which was postponed for a long time due to the internal situation in Turkey. We will hold the meeting within the next one or two months and discuss our long-term action plan. President Erdogan has given the corresponding instructions,” the minister stressed.

Vladimir Makei noted that the personal relations between the two heads of state promote cooperation between Belarus and Turkey. “Personal relations are an example for both the state vertical of power and the business community. The main task for today is to transform the level of these political relations into economic cooperation. Concrete goals have been set forth. I think they are achievable,” he added.