Pavel Latushko paid a working visit to Lisbon and Madrid on 11-12 June. On 11 June, he met with Policy Director at the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Francisco Duarte Lopes to exchange views on the potential areas of Belarus-Portugal cooperation. Pavel Latushko suggested organizing a presentation of the trade, economic, and investment cooperation potential with Belarus in Portugal and holding ministerial consultations in all fields of bilateral cooperation. Francisco Duarte Lopes confirmed that the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is interested in developing ministerial dialogue and trade and economic cooperation with Belarus.
Pavel Latushko met with Head of the Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade of Portugal (AICEP) Pedro Pessoa e Costa. The parties agreed to strengthen the ties between Belarusian and Portuguese businessmen and exchange visits of entrepreneurs.
The Belarusian Ambassador also visited the company Mota-Engil specializing in large-scale infrastructure projects. Pavel Latushko held talks on the prospects of participation of the Portuguese company in projects in Belarus. Member of the Board of Directors of Mota-Engil Carlos Mota Santos briefed the participants on the plans to set up a subsidiary in Belarus.
Pavel Latushko met with Director General for Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain Antonio Fernandez-Martos in Madrid on 12 June. The parties negotiated a draft intergovernmental memorandum to develop economic and industrial cooperation providing for the creation of a bilateral trade and economic commission. Pavel Latushko and Antonio Fernandez-Martos talked over the development of Belarus-Spain cooperation in agriculture, food-processing industry, and implementation of a number of infrastructure projects. The representative of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness expressed readiness to facilitate the establishment of cooperation between Belarusian and Spanish associations of businessmen.
Pavel Latushko also held talks with Managing Director of the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR) Avelino Brito. The parties agreed to sign an interagency Belarus-Spain memorandum on cooperation in standardization and certification in the near future. Avelino Brito praised the high level of cooperation with the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus (Gosstandart).
During his meeting with Deputy Director General for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jose Lavina, Pavel Latushko briefed the Spanish side on the results of preparations for the ceremony of signing bilateral agreements and the first session of the intergovernmental commission for economic and industrial cooperation. The parties also discussed the Belarus-EU relations, cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union, and the cooperation between the two states within the framework of the United Nations.
Besides, Pavel Latushko held negotiations at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid on the possibility of organizing exhibition projects in Belarus. The Ambassador also met with representatives of the Belarusian community to discuss the implementation of trade and economic projects and the participation of the Belarusians living in Spain in the session of the consultative council on the affairs of Belarusians living abroad at the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.