Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Belarus, Venezuela need to update bilateral cooperation

MINSK, 17 October (BelTA) – Belarus and Venezuela need to re-examine various areas of cooperation and develop a cooperation roadmap, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Yvan Gil Pinto, Minister of the People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in Minsk on 17 October, BelTA has learned.

“It’s good that you have come to Belarus, it’s very well-timed. I think we don’t need to get to know each other, we don’t need to find out what Belarus and Venezuela can bring to the table in bilateral cooperation. We have known each other for a long time and did a lot in the past to intensify our interaction,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The president noted that due to certain circumstances, primarily external factors, interaction between the two countries has been put on hold. “I feel that we need to have a fresh look at all areas and issues of cooperation that we identified in the times of Hugo Chavez,” said the head of state. “We should decide in what way Belarus and Venezuela can be helpful to each other. We need to develop an appropriate plan, a road-map for the short and medium term, and perhaps even the long term. If other states, say Cuba, need to be included in this cooperation scheme, we don’t mind it. In other words, if you agree, we will be ready, the foreign minister will be ready to implement these agreements by the new year,” the president noted.

First of all, Yvan Gil Pinto conveyed best regards to Aleksandr Lukashenko from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The foreign minister noted that he is absolutely on the same page with the president of Belarus regarding bilateral relations - they are quite robust after more than 20 years of the upward trend. The entire range of cooperation agenda was discussed the day before at the meeting of the foreign ministers of Belarus and Venezuela, Yvan Gil Pinto recalled. According to him, the parties mapped out plans for the near future.

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