Belarus and Kazakhstan should have the most advanced relations

The Head of State, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Belarus Yerlan Baizhanov

Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik and Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belarus Yerlan Baizhanov     BELTA

“Our meeting is taking place for a reason. You know perfectly well that the President of Kazakhstan will make an official visit to Belarus — most likely, in the third quarter [this year]. It is very important for us today to specify some points of this significant event for Belarus. The negotiations will be held at the highest level, and interested parties will meet within the framework of this visit,” noted the Belarusian leader.  “I am convinced that a billion dollars that we have reached in our trade turnover will look simply ridiculous after this visit. This is because our countries have great potential, and are the friendliest ones in our integration associations. Such states as Belarus and Kazakhstan should have the most advanced relations.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out the positive developments in bilateral co-operation, “We have established good joint ventures for the production of combine harvesters, tractors, and elevators. It is planned to further promote our technologies and create joint facilities based on them in Kazakhstan and Belarus. We are ready to support you at any time. Any of your wishes on the territory of Belarus is the law for us. We are ready to expand our co-operation in terms of creating joint ventures.”

The Belarus’ President stressed that the situation in the world is not easy. “This affects both our countries, as well as our relations. Especially the threat of sanctions policy from the West. Still, we continue co-operating and we need to find directions for our co-operation without creating problems for Kazakhstan. You should know that we are ready to collaborate with you in all areas in the interests of your state. Therefore, I do not see any issues in this regard,” the Belarusian leader emphasised. “If we move in the direction that is of interest for Belarus and Kazakhstan, we can overcome not only sanctions, but also any barriers or obstacles.”

The Head of State drew attention to the fact that Kazakhstan currently chairs the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), as well as the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO). As it was noted, the next SCO summit is planned to be held in Astana in July 2024. Yerlan Baizhanov underlined that Kazakhstan had fulfilled all necessary domestic procedures and welcomed Belarus’ accession to the SCO. “The common desire of both sides is for this to happen already at the July summit. There are all prerequisites for this,” the head of the diplomatic mission assured. 
“We know that in February, you ratified all the documents on Belarus’ membership in the SCO. We are grateful to you for this. It would be very symbolic, and we would welcome this, if Belarus became a full-fledged member of the SCO specifically in Astana. We will ask you about that. Of course, a lot depends on the presiding party. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to work more actively in this regard,” stated Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The President of Belarus thanked the diplomat for the great work he had done, especially during the current crucial period for Belarus. “I mean the elections. You have been closely following the situation in Belarus. I know that you are currently visiting various localities in Belarus, and I would like to hear your impressions. Maybe you can tell us something that we fail to notice. It is always better to see things with a fresh eye,” the Belarusian leader said. 
The President also stressed that the Ambassador of Kazakhstan is a friend of Belarus. “You can count on us to provide all possible support in your diplomatic mission,” the Head of State noted. Yerlan Baizhanov expressed gratitude to the President of Belarus for the opportunity to meet, and admitted that he regarded that as a special sign of Aleksandr Lukashenko’s personal attention to the bilateral agenda of relations with Kazakhstan. The diplomat added that he intended to continue traveling around the country and enterprises, and his impressions were ‘the most serious’. “First of all, I am impressed with Belarus’ technological development and industrial potential, and, of course, the people. Everyone, from chief engineers to ordinary workers, want to develop further, including in the direction of Kazakhstan,” the Kazakh Ambassador pointed out.
When communicating with journalists, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan developed the topic, “There are several companies in almost every region of Belarus that we would like to see operating in Kazakhstan. I am talking specifically about localisation of production, not just trade supplies. This means a long-term and fundamental co-operation, and we orient our Belarusian partners towards this approach. We understand that such investment projects require more confident support from states, governments, and financial institutions. It could be possible — and I have proposed such an idea — to create a joint bilateral industrial co-operation fund. This is one of the ideas that was discussed today.” 

Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by