Lukashenko: Belarus seeks closer ties with Sri Lanka

Belarus is interested in expanding cooperation with Sri Lanka, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a meeting with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath in Minsk on 14 May, BelTA has learned.

“I am happy to meet with you. There is much to discuss. We have long-standing relations and know each other well. But so far our economic ties have been based on just one or two product positions. We would like to expand our cooperation. I want you, while in Belarus, with the help of the ambassador and our minister, to look at our capabilities and determine how else we can be useful to Sri Lanka,” the head of state said.

“We will be very pleased to maintain relations with you and to improve them, including in the economic area, by forming a roadmap, a plan for our cooperation. The economy is the foundation of any relationship. Therefore, we would like to build solid, good relations with you,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

He added that the two countries need to determine what is of interest and value to each other in the economic area: “[We need] a plan for our relations, even if it consists of three or four points, it doesn’t matter. But it must exist so that we have clear goals that we will strive toward together.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that Belarus is a country with developed manufacturing and agriculture, and that Sri Lanka may find these areas of particular interest. “Everything we are rich in is at your disposal. After studying our capabilities, you can draw your own conclusions about which direction to move in,” the president said.

In turn, Vijitha Herath thanked the Belarusian leader for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues of bilateral cooperation. “As you correctly noted, our countries have been interacting with each other for quite a long time, since 2000. We hope that during this visit we will be able to advance our bilateral relations, including in the economic area,” he said.