Opinions & Interviews

PM: Belarus, UK have great potential for cooperation

MINSK, 14 August (BelTA) - Belarus and Great Britain have a great potential for cooperation, Belarus Prime Minister Sergei Rumas said as he met with outgoing UK Ambassador Fionna Gibb, BelTA has learned.

Today's meeting is a good opportunity to assess the results achieved over the past few years, Sergei Rumas said. Since 2016, the dialogue has intensified markedly, and the credit for this, according to the prime minister, goes largely to the ambassador.

Thanks to the support of the embassy, a visit of the government delegation to the UK was very productive. “There were fruitful meetings with members of the British government, and I made sure once again that our relationship has a great potential," said Sergei Rumas.

The parties have made significant progress in developing the legal framework. The new documents include a memorandum on a trade dialogue, a double taxation avoidance agreement which facilitates the work of business in both countries, an international agreement on road transport, a memorandum on trade cooperation.

“During these three and a half years you have raised the bar very high, and I think that, on the one hand, it will be easy for your successor to continue the work you started, and on the other hand it will be difficult to maintain the level of cooperation that you have established,” Sergei Rumas said.

He wished Fionna Gibb further success in her career and asked her not to forget Belarus. “You are always welcome here,” the prime minister emphasized.

The ambassador thanked the prime minister for the kind words and noted that she will have pleasant memories of the time she spent in Belarus. She called the visits by senior representatives of the Foreign Office, Parliament, and members of the royal family to Belarus as significant successes in the development of bilateral relations. Such visits are important for forging stronger relations with Belarus, drumming up the interest in the country, said Fionna Gibb. She added that she sees serious changes in the attitude towards Belarus on the part of London.

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