Expert explained benefits offered by co-operation with Arab countries

President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko continues his working tour of Middle Eastern countries. On December 18th, he left Oman for the United Arab Emirates. Specific areas for co-operation were defined during the Belarusian leader’s visit to Oman: energy, tourism, education, healthcare, agriculture, technologies, joint industry projects, and assembly production. Vadim Gigin, House of Representatives MP and General Director of the National Library, explained to Alfa Radio why partnership with Oman looks so promising for Belarus.

Joint programmes

Yes, we have a solid plan, a development programme. And the Middle East is vast. I’m going to focus on the Arab Peninsula, a region that’s very interesting for us and holds great promise. There are six kingdoms there: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrein, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, all members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). According to the early 2024 World Bank data, those countries’ GDP should have grown 3.1 percent this year and 3.8 percent in 2025. In November, the World Bank revised their forecast up by nearly a whole percentage point.

"That is impressive, above the global average. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are projected to grow the most,” Mr. Gigin said.

Development prospects

The speaker went on, “All countries of the Arab Peninsula make plans. They are mostly focused on transitioning away from the oil economy. In other words, they want to use oil and gas revenues to foster other advanced industries like IT, tourism, biotech. The peninsula is also a global finance hub. Just think about it: about a third of all financial resources in the Islamic world are concentrated in those six countries, maybe even more, we are going to see after the year ends. Our trade with the United Arab Emirates already reached $80 million; our next target is $100 million and more."

The UAE is in the top 3 countries that invest in Belarus. This is how important the region is for us. They are waiting for us, so we have to act fast. They like Belarusian education in medicine, engineering, and culture studies. They need professionals who are familiar with our region and speak the languages.

Importance of President Lukashenko’s foreign visits

“Remember his African breakthrough: our exports there started growing 4 times faster in January-August; our trade with China grew 2.5 times in 4 years. We are waiting for another breakthrough,” the expert explained.

Geography and logistics

”The so-called North-South corridor holds great promise for Belarus. Recently, at the Supreme State Council meeting in Minsk dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Union State, they talked about Belarus’ contribution to the Northern Sea Route’s development. From the Northern Sea Route, meaning the ports of Leningrad Region, they use the expansive network of Russian railroads to deliver cargo to Azerbaijan. Further lies Iran and the access to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Ormuz. The opportunities they offer us are enormous. We are interested in ensuring peaceful logistics, peace along sea routes, and the money that would earn us. And by the way, the Arab countries want to co-operate with us in culture, not only in business”, he concluded.