Highest level of co-operation
The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus, Xie Xiaoyong, who is concluding his diplomatic mission in the country. “We paid very serious attention to the visit of Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang to Belarus. We are satisfied with his visit. We are currently working hard in the Government on the development of relations concerning the issues and problems that were identified during the visit of the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China,” stressed the Head of State.
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The President expressed his gratitude to the Chinese side for the technical assistance provided. “Thanks to the People’s Republic of China, we are completing the construction of two social facilities that will contribute to and enhance the health of our population, and will become image-building at the same time. This includes a swimming pool and a stadium, the construction of which — I really hope — we will largely finish this year,” said the Belarusian leader.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus would like to achieve a level of co-operation with Chinese regions similar to what we have with Russian regions.
“A new topic has appeared in our bilateral relations — regional co-operation — and it is developing very well at the initiative of President Xi Jinping. Once, during our meeting, he drew my attention to China’s regions, noting that some Chinese provinces are larger than certain states in the world, both in terms of population and GDP. It is about trillions of dollars. Therefore, we have begun serious collaboration with the regions of the PRC,” the Head of State emphasised.“We will also pay great attention to this opportunity and will develop regional interaction. We would like the level of this co-operation to be approximately the same as the one we have with the regions of the Russian Federation. We already have experience in deepening and expanding such co-operation.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko underscored, “I thank you for the tremendous support you provided to us when we joined the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, as well as for the support you render to us in co-operation with the BRICS countries,” said the Head of State. “I would like to ask you to convey my warmest wishes to my close friend — Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping. I wish him good health and longevity, especially political longevity. He is a person who is not only known in Belarus but also loved. I am very glad that we have established such kind and warm relations.”
The President also noted the diplomat’s contribution to the development of bilateral relations. Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised that during his time in Belarus, Xie Xiaoyong had been a model of ambassadorial conduct in the host country. “I could not help but meet with you. First of all, I want to thank you for everything you have done for our country. You have done everything to strengthen our relations with China, even though they were already at a very high level,” the Head of State pointed out. “You have worked closely with us, and we signed a declaration on the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between Belarus and the People’s Republic of China. This is a very high, probably the highest, level of relations among the states with which the People’s Republic of China has relations.”
Regarding the foundation of relations, the Head of State remarked that the trade turnover between Belarus and China amounts to approximately $8 billion. Thus, China is Belarus’ second-largest trading partner after Russia.
Xie Xiaoyong, in turn, conveyed warm greetings to the Belarusian leader from the Chairman of the PRC, Xi Jinping, and also from Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang. “I have worked in Belarus for over 1,400 days — that is, four years. Throughout this time, I have felt the deep and strong friendly sentiments of the Belarusian people towards me and the Chinese embassy in Belarus. I take pride in having been sent as an ambassador to friendly Belarus, and witnessing and participating in the historical process of developing Chinese-Belarusian relations,” noted Xie Xiaoyong.
The ambassador also highlighted the importance of the fact that Chinese-Belarusian relations have reached a new historical height. The diplomat pointed out that over the past four years, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Xi Jinping have met four times, outlined a plan and defined the course for the development of bilateral relations.
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Head of State has held a meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Lương Tam Quang
Aleksandr Lukashenko first of all congratulated the guest on Vietnam’s Independence Day, which is celebrated in the country on September 2nd. “The Vietnamese have earned this holiday with sweat and blood, they fought for it. Vietnam is a rapidly developing country, not only in Asia but also in the world. It is a well-established country,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out. “Vietnam and Belarus have established very warm and friendly relations. Our friendship with the Vietnamese people is based on the heroic pages of the struggle of the Vietnamese people for their independence after the Second World War. Our compatriots worked a lot in Vietnam and helped to restore the national economy both during the war and after it. We still hold the same position.”In the summer of 2024, Vietnamese President Tô Lâm was elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Aleksandr Lukashenko conveyed his warmest congratulations to the Vietnamese leader and an invitation to visit Belarus at any time convenient for him.
The Head of State noted that Belarus is committed to developing co-operation with Vietnam.
“As for the development of international relations, Belarus and Vietnam have similar views — we stand for a multipolar world. Whether we want it or not, a multipolar world will take place. In this regard, security issues come to the forefront in this swiftly changing, very complex, and ambiguous world. I really hope that your visit to Belarus will contribute to strengthening our relations in the field of security,” the Belarusian leader emphasised.In turn, Lương Tam Quang stressed, “I would like to confirm that the current visit of the delegation of the Vietnamese Minister of Public Security to Belarus will contribute to the deepening of friendly relations not only between the two countries but also between their law enforcement agencies. This visit is very significant. I think it will be a good incentive for the development of relations between the departments of Belarus and Vietnam.”
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President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has received Igor Sergeyenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, with a report
“It is very important now to promote parliamentarian work at the international level. After all, people’s diplomacy, which should be headed by deputies, is crucial as it produces an effect. You can see this in the work of our senators [the upper house of the Belarusian parliament]. I think the House of Representatives should also act in this direction. How do you think we should organise work in this aspect?” the Head of State outlined one of the topics of the report.Aleksandr Lukashenko asked questions about the legislative activity of deputies.
As Igor Sergeyenko noted, the House of Representatives has been working in an updated composition for five months. According to him, all organisational issues that were raised, including by the Head of State, have been resolved. “All deputies live and work in decent conditions today,” reported the Chairman of the House of Representatives.
Describing the current deputy corps, Igor Sergeyenko informed the President that the composition had been largely updated — 20 deputies were elected from the previous convocation to the current one, 90 people were actually new. He also said that 73 men and 37 women work in the deputy corps, 75 people have leadership experience, including leadership of labour collectives, 10 deputies have academic degrees and titles, while 70 deputies represent political parties. According to Igor Sergeyenko, these figures demonstrate that ‘reputable people have been elected’ to represent in Parliament the interests of the regions from which they were elected.
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Aleksandr Lukashenko has pardoned another 30 persons convicted of protest crimes
President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has pardoned 30 people convicted of protest crimes, corresponding Decree No. 343 On Pardoning Convicts was signed by the Head of State, sb.by reports with reference to the Belarusian leader’s press service. “This decision is a humane gesture towards these people. They have got a chance to return to normal life, to their families and work,” the press service stressed. Among those pardoned are seven women and 23 men, most of them are parents of minors and young children.All persons submitted for pardon were studied by the readmission commission overseeing the fugitives headed by Prosecutor General Andrei Shved. “All these persons have met the mandatory conditions for pardon: they filed a petition for pardon, admitted guilt, sincerely repented and promised to lead a law-abiding lifestyle,” the Head of State’s press service noted.
The Interior Ministry will ensure control over the law-abiding behaviour of these persons.
Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by