Georgian Foreign Minister Holds Meetings in Belarus

Georgian Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister, Mikheil Janelidze is on an official visit to Belarus.

On August 4, Janelidze was hosted by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk.

The president underlined the long-lasting friendly relations between the Georgians and Belarusians, adding they have common history while being a part of the Soviet Union.

“Georgians are our brothers…You are well aware how we respect your country and nation,” Lukashenko addressed Janelidze.

The sides spoke about the trade-economic cooperation between the two nations, adding that there is a big potential for Georgia and Belarus to help each other boost their economies.

Janelidze announced that in 2018, Tbilisi will host the Belarusian Culture Week. He also thanked Lukashenko for his help during the Borjomi Gorge forest fire in Georgia earlier this August when Belarus sent a helicopter to extinguish it.

Georgian minister also met the Vice Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Rusiy. 

It was emphasized that Belarus considers Georgia to be a reliable partner and is interested in the growth of trade turnover, as well as in the development of sectoral co-operation in the priority areas defined in the Commission’s roadmap.

Special attention was paid to the high potential of co-operation in such areas as agriculture, machine building, tourist and sport infrastructure.

The sides expressed their interest in cooperation in the area of high technologies. It was emphasized that the technological park of Belarus is one of the leading parks in Central and Eastern Europe.

Furthermore, Mikheil Janelidze and his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei signed the Program of Cooperation between the Georgian and the Belarusian Foreign Ministries for 2018-2019.

The ministers expressed hope that this program will contribute to the development of both bilateral and multilateral co-operation.

At the face to face meeting, the sides reaffirmed the intensification of co-operation between Georgia and Belarus over the past years which was further promoted by the exchange of high-level visits.

The Ministers welcomed the activities of the inter-governmental economic commission and the growth of trade turnover which increased by 25% over the past 7 months.

Janelidze stated that the Economic co-operation between Georgia and Belarus will bring benefits not only to the two countries but will also contribute to ensuring the development and stability of the region.

He also thanked his Belarusian counterpart for his government’s support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Vladimir Makei expressed his readiness to participate in the Silk Road Forum scheduled in Tbilisi for November.

At the mtg w/FM #Belarus Vladimir Makei, Ministers reiterated existing strong friendship & close cooperation btw 2 countries @BelarusMFA pic.twitter.com/GVwFOn1BkN

— MFA of Georgia (@MFAgovge) September 4, 2017

By Thea Morrison