Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 June (BelTA) – Belarus is eager to develop the legal framework of cooperation with Chile, Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Evgeny Shestakov noted as he spoke at the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus on 13 June, BelTA has learned.

“We are interested in developing the legal framework of cooperation with Chile. For instance, we have over 20 agreements with Sudan, and only two intergovernmental documents with Chile,” Evgeny Shestakov pointed out. These two documents are the memorandum of mutual understanding on regular political consultations between the Belarusian and Chilean foreign ministries and the intergovernmental agreement on visa-free visits for the holders of diplomatic, service and official passports. The latter was ratified by the House of Representatives on 13 June.

“At the moment the Chilean side is reviewing the draft agreement on trade and economic cooperation. I have to say that Chile’s participation in regional integration associations envisages certain restrictions. For instance, Chile delegated the right to sign the agreements on mutual promotion and protection of investments to the respective associations. This is why the country refused to consider signing such an agreement with Belarus,” Evgeny Shestakov noted.

The intergovernmental agreement on visa-free visits for holders of diplomatic, service and official passports was signed in Santiago, Chile in November 2016. The agreement provides for visa-free entry, exit, transit and temporary stay on the territory of the other state for a period of up to 90 days during a calendar year for the citizens of the two states that have a valid diplomatic, service or official passport.

On 13 June the Belarusian MPs also ratified the Belarus-Sudan intergovernmental agreement on mutual promotion and protection of investments. The document was signed in Khartoum, Sudan in January 2017. According to it, the parties commit to providing favorable conditions for investors, granting fair and equitable treatment to mutual investments and also full protection and security.