Lukashenko: we’ve deteriorated in our relations with India
Belarus must determine the main areas of co-operation with India for the future – as stated by President Aleksandr Lukashenko when appointing Mikhail Kasko as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to India
photo: www.president.gov.by
Prior to this, Mikhail Kasko served as Chairman of the Belarusian Production and Trade Concern of Timber, Woodworking, Pulp and Paper Industry. When making a personnel decision, Aleksandr Lukashenko did not hide the fact that he had complaints about Kasko’s work in his previous position, “You’re aware of the actual state of affairs in your ministry nowadays. So, I really wouldn’t want my suspicions that they just want to quietly shift you to some other position to be confirmed in the future. I very much hope that your work in India will bear significant results. India is a huge country. I cannot be satisfied with the state of affairs that we have in Belarusian-Indian relations. Frankly speaking, we have deteriorated in our relations with India.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that certain persons in the country’s leadership are responsible for the development of relations with our key foreign economic partners. For example, Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko is responsible for the development of co-operation with the Russian Federation, while First Deputy PM Nikolai Snopkov is in charge of liaisons with China. As far as India is concerned, even under the late Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, he was tasked with developing an action plan in this area. Now this task has been entrusted to the current Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik.
“I won’t say that we have gained a strong foothold there and this is our very important partner. We can easily sell what we produce in China, in Russia, and in some countries of the far arc. However, India is a huge market, and we have been represented there, we have worked there since the times of the Soviet Union. We need to identify the main areas where we can do something and where we will be primarily useful to India. This is the basis of this plan,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
In this regard, the Belarusian leader instructed the new Ambassador, together with the Foreign Minister, to decide on the relevant issues, “It won’t be easy, but we need to build the foundation of our relations in the main areas with India. We won’t gain such a foothold in India, as we have, e.g., in China. We worked less in this direction; after all, we don’t have an economy, like that of China or Russia, which is able to conquer the whole world. It is enough for us to determine the main directions and work with the Indians.”
As an example, the President listed a number of areas in which there are prospects for developing relations with India, “They have good medicine. We really need them. Some of their technologies are also of interest to us. They know how to do something else, not just process diamonds. This is important for us, too. We give this a high priority. There are goods that we can sell there. We can even set up some enterprises there based on our technologies. The areas of activity are known; we just need to decide. India is a difficult destination. Being a practical person, although you didn’t do very well in our concern, nevertheless, I think you can use your experience in the Indian direction. But God forbid you think that this is a vacation for you or that you have gone somewhere aside. No. You are going upward.”
