Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 14 November (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko announced his visit to Georgia as he met with outgoing Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Belarus David Kotaria, BelTA has learned.

“I am thankful to your president and government for their invitation to visit Georgia. We have agreed that the visit will be a standout and useful one. We should fill it with matters of practical importance to maintain momentum in cooperation so that the people of Georgia and Belarus do not say that we only meet for ceremonies,” Alexander Lukashenko remarked.

In his words, he is looking forward to the visit to Tbilisi. “I believe that we will complete the preparations in H1 2018, and I will be able to visit this wonderful country once again,” the head of state noted.

Alexander Lukashenko expressed hope that David Kotaria who has made a great contribution to Belarus-Georgia relations will provide assistance to both sides in this regard.

Belarus and Georgia established diplomatic relations in January 1994. Georgia opened an embassy in Belarus in 2007; the Belarusian embassy has been operating in Tbilisi since August 2017.

Alexander Lukashenko paid his first official visit to Georgia in 2015. In March 2017, the Georgian leader Giorgi Margvelashvili made an official visit to Belarus.

The legal framework of the Belarusian-Georgian bilateral relations comprises 47 documents. In 2012-2016, Belarus’ export to Georgia surged by 150% to reach $57.5 million. The uptrend remains intact in 2017, too: Belarus’ export in January-September 2017 rose by 23.7% from the same period a year prior to $59.4 million.