Belarus' FM meets with 14 heads of national delegations in Baku

Sergei Aleinik met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov. The diplomats confirmed the strategic nature of bilateral relations and the special role of the heads of state in their promotion. “All topical issues of the bilateral agenda have been covered,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

Sergei Aleinik and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda Hon. Jeje Odongo discussed the priorities of the Ugandan chairmanship in the Non-Aligned Movement and mutual support on multilateral platforms. “The parties agreed to exchange visits at various levels in the near future in order to flesh out the bilateral agenda,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The talks with State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi focused on the situation in the region. “Both diplomats emphasized the need for the soonest possible establishment of peace. They noted that there are no alternatives to peaceful ways of resolving regional and global conflicts,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed.

During the first face-to-face meeting with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, the Belarusian diplomat discussed the full scope of bilateral relations and the current international agenda, including practical aspects of implementation of the agreements reached following the meeting of the heads of state in Astana in October 2022. “The Turkish counterpart reaffirmed his country's principled position on the inadmissibility, unfairness and evil nature of unilateral sanctions,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

Sergei Aleinik and Indian Secretary (West) at India's Ministry of External Affairs Sanjay Verma discussed the outcomes of the Indian chairmanship in the SCO and the coordination of actions to complete Belarus' accession to the organization.

The substantive dialogue with Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad Ahmed Attaf focused on plans to expand the bilateral legal framework, intensify cooperation in agriculture, including certification of Belarusian dairy products in Algeria, to step up food supplies and to boost cooperation in the manufacturing industry. A number of agreements were reached and specific steps to implement them were outlined,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait H.E. Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah confirmed his country's interest in reinvigorating bilateral cooperation with Belarus. A lot of attention was paid to investment in socially significant projects in the Republic of Belarus. The diplomats discussed in detail the situation in the region and the world and Belarus' possible participation in the Kuwaiti food security program.

“The strong political will of the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to strengthen relations with Belarus was confirmed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of this country Yvan Eduardo Gil Pinto,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed. “The practical issues that were raised at the talks included resumption of cooperation projects, mutual recognition of higher education diplomas, cooperation in tourism, contacts at various levels, direct flights.”

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Waleed El Khereiji drew Sergei Aleinik's attention to serious problems in international security and the need to find ways for the peaceful coexistence of all players. Waleed El Khereiji highlighted the positive role of Belarus in the region. The parties considered visa facilitation as a way to boost tourist flows between the countries.

The interaction of Cuba with the EAEU, mutual support on multilateral platforms and the agenda of upcoming bilateral meetings were the main talking points at Sergei Aleinik's meeting with Cuban First Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Peñalver Portal.

The meeting with South Africa's Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Alvin Botes centered around economic cooperation, a possibility to ease mutual trade mechanisms, cooperation between Belarus and BRICS and the peacekeeping initiative of the African heads of state. “A number of practical agreements were reached, including on contacts at various levels,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

“Sergei Aleinik had a traditionally candid exchange of views with Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad. They discussed steps to implement the agreements reached in the follow-up to the visit of Belarus' prime minister to Damascus in November 2022, as well as the multilateral agenda, including the situation in the Middle East and humanitarian cooperation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Sergei Aleinik and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed the implementation of the agreements reached by the presidents of the two countries during the visit to Tehran in March 2023.

“The situation in the Middle East, bilateral cooperation and interaction in international organizations were discussed at Sergei Aleinik's meeting with Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyadh al-Maliki. The Belarusian side expressed support for the efforts to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as to find a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

“All partners reaffirmed political will to intensify the existing trade, economic and coordination mechanisms, declared the unacceptability of unilateral pressure and coercive measures,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed.