Alexander Lukashenko: Belarus Would Like to Expand Cooperation with Sri Lanka

Belarus would like to expand cooperation with Sri Lanka. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated this at a meeting with Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, BELTA reports.

"I am glad to meet you. We have a lot to discuss. We have a long-standing relationship, and we know each other well. But perhaps only thanks—if we're talking about the economy—to one or two commodity items. We would like to expand our cooperation. I want you, while in Belarus, with the help of the ambassador and our minister, to examine our capabilities and determine how else we can be useful to Sri Lanka," the head of state said.

"We would be delighted to maintain and improve our relations with you. This includes developing a roadmap, a plan for our economic relations. The economy is the foundation of any relationship. Therefore, we would like to build strong, good relations with you," Alexander Lukashenko emphasized.

He added that countries need to determine their economic interests and needs from each other: "A plan for our relations, even if it consists of three or four points, is not important. But we need to have one. This will ensure that we have specific goals that we will strive toward together."

Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus is a country with developed industry and agriculture, and Sri Lanka could be interested in these areas. "You can take advantage of everything we have to offer. Having studied our capabilities, you can draw certain conclusions about which direction to take," the President said.

The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, in turn, thanked the Belarusian leader for the opportunity to meet and discuss bilateral cooperation. "As you rightly noted, our countries have been interacting for quite some time – since 2000. We hope that during this visit we will be able to further advance our bilateral relations, including in the economic sphere," said Vijitha Herath.