Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 11 November (BelTA) – The official visit of Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a demonstration of Belarus’ wide-ranging foreign policy, Belarus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei told the media, BelTA has learned.

The minister took note of the Belarusian head of state's tight schedule of international meetings. Serious agreements were reached during Alexander Lukashenko’s recent visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. They were followed by the talks between the Presidents of Belarus and Turkey in Minsk. “The President is set to visit Moscow in the near future to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In late November Alexander Lukashenko is expected to pay a visit to Azerbaijan,” the minister said.

At the start of the coming year the head of state is set to hold a number of overseas visits. “It fully meets the head of state’s strategy to diversify the country’s foreign economic relations and the concept of Belarus' multi-vector foreign policy,” Vladimir Makei noted.

The minister emphasized the importance of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Belarus. This was the first visit of the Turkey President to Belarus in the history of the bilateral relations. “The visit itself and the fact that the Turkey President brought more than 200 businessmen to Belarus speak for themselves. This is a serious signal for both the political elite and the business community of Turkey,” he said.

Vladimir Makei added that the Belarusian-Turkish intergovernmental commission is set to sit in Minsk in early 2017. The commission is expected to sign a roadmap for bilateral relations.