Opinions & Interviews

KHARTOUM, 17 January (BelTA) – The agenda of the visit of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to Sudan also included a speech at the Sudanese parliament. The head of state told Sudanese MPs about the place of Belarus in the modern world, the foreign policy priorities, the development prospects at the national level and in bilateral relations with Sudan, BelTA informs.

“The parliamentary dimension in the international dialogue is an important element of interaction in many fields. Parliamentary diplomacy is the highest level of people’s diplomacy. I am convinced that our meeting will help us learn more about each other, find new areas of common interest for Belarus and Sudan,” the President said.

The Sudanese side has show great interest in this event, and the audience broke into applause several times.

The President stressed that Belarusian people know the value of peace, and this understanding lies at the heart of the modern approaches of the country in the foreign policy. “We are building the multi-vector foreign policy on the principles of peacefulness, cooperation, and mutual respect,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

“Belarus is a vigorously developing European state today,” the President noted. “In our development we rely on the huge potential accumulated in the Soviet Union era. We have created the national model of the state structure meeting the needs of the Belarusian nation in full. There are efficient institutions, an optimal economic system, and a high level of social security in Belarus.”

“Even in the complicated external conditions on the global markets Belarusian enterprises successfully compete with the best foreign manufacturers. Belarusian factories fully satisfy the country’s demand for foodstuffs,” the President added.

Belarus occupies leading positions in terms of the production and export of certain industrial, agricultural, and food products.

“We believe that innovation, science, and technology are the key to the future. Belarus has made big progress in the development of nuclear energy, space exploration, biotechnology. The achievements of Belarusian software engineers are recognized worldwide. Belarus is ahead of many countries in terms of the export of computer services per capita,” the Belarusian leader noted.

Belarus is also one of the leaders in the development of medicine and the availability of healthcare services.

Alexander Lukashenko stressed that a lot is being done to make Belarus one of the most successful and strongest countries in Europe.

The development of international contacts is one of the major state priorities for Belarus because of the openness of its economy. “We cannot stand still amid the tough competition for markets and resources in the modern world. This is why the state is actively involved in the economic affairs, and we faced enough criticism for it some time ago,” Alexander Lukashenko said. “Today we are not criticized, many countries start using our experience. Time has shown that the decisions were right. All leading countries do not give up on the rational state support for national companies on the territory of the country and abroad.”

“There are no secrets: we have come to our Sudanese friends to, first of all, advance economic cooperation. We are interested in it,” the President stated. “Belarus is an open export-oriented country. It is very important for us to enhance the relations of trust and friendship. Our partners know that we have never let down anyone. We will not let you down.”

According to the head of state, Sudan is an important partner of Belarus in the Arab world. The sides confirmed the interest in advancing cooperation to a brand-new level with the ample use of the economic and technological potential of the two countries. Belarus and Sudan have signed an intestate agreement on friendly relations and cooperation.

According to the President, it is still needed and can be done a lot to expand bilateral cooperation. There are several promising areas for joint work.

Belarus is eager to promote its technologies in Sudan and set up joint ventures for the entire spectrum of Belarusian equipment.

“We can do everything on the basis of science and advanced technologies, everything you need today. You are now going through the same things we were going through some time ago. You will go through this period and should know that we are friends with similar experience and all things you need today.”