Acting President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and SSPC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said: Mingalaba… Your Excellency, Mr Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, delegation members from both sides, and media.
Myanmar and Belarus are vital, long-standing friends and partners, and Belarus is one of Myanmar’s most reliable countries, just as Myanmar will continue to be one of Belarus’s most trusted partners. The diplomatic relations between Myanmar and Belarus, established in 1999, reach 26 years this year. Over these 26 years, our friendship and cooperation have steadily grown stronger and deeper. Belarusian President’s visit to Myanmar is a historic one, as it is the first visit of the Head of Belarus to Myanmar since diplomatic tie was established between Myanmar and Belarus. It can be said that the friendship and cooperation between the two countries is the closest and has reached the highest point. While reaching the highest point, as a symbol of bilateral friendship, the Mesua ferrea plant will be planted at the National Herbal Park in Nay Pyi Taw. After our meeting today, we discussed on a wide scale on how to effectively implement previous discussions and agreements, as well as further enhancement of bilateral relations, especially in defence, agriculture, livestock, industry, education, science and technology, health, sports and tourism industry. In order to strengthen our diplomatic ties between the two countries and collaboration efforts in politics, economy and cultural sectors, we have also agreed to upgrade the Myanmar Consulate General in Minsk to an Embassy, and for Belarus to open its representative office in Myanmar. Yesterday, the third Business Forum was successfully held in Yangon, and I am very glad as we gained many positive results.
Your Excellency, distinguished delegates, and members of the media, as Myanmar is a country located between the world’s two most populous nations, it has a large market surrounding it, and it also has abundant natural resources and vast areas suitable for agriculture and livestock industries, along with a coastline stretching over 1,300 miles.
With many investment opportunities, I would like to invite business people from various sectors in Belarus to come and invest in Myanmar.
Your Excellency, distinguished delegates, and members of the media, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Belarus for consistently supporting Myanmar at both the regional and international levels. Moreover, we are also grateful for Belarus’s continuous support towards Myanmar while it is heading forward in line with the political pathway that is suitable for the situation of the country. Regarding the general election to be held on 28 December, we have arranged for be free and fair election, and we also made preparations to receive back about 4,000 Myanmar nationals whose temporary residencies were revoked, that the Department of Homeland Security of the US on 25 November. We will arrange for them to be able to cast a vote if they are on the voter lists. Similarly, I also want to say that I welcome Myanmar people who are in foreign countries for various reasons to return to Myanmar to cooperate peacefully in democratic affairs. I warmly welcome the election observation delegation that Belarus will send to Myanmar. I also reaffirm that Myanmar will continue to cooperate with Belarus closely on the international stage in the future. I would like to reaffirm that we will work together with Your Excellency and the people of Belarus to further strengthen cooperation between our two nations and elevate our bilateral relations. Thank you, Mr President.
President of the Republic of Belarus Mr Aleksandr Lukashenko said: I would like to extend my greetings to the President and all friends and acquaintances from Myanmar. On my part, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks on behalf of my delegation for the warm and gracious welcome extended to me and all members of my delegation at today’s press briefing. As Belarus, we would like to extend an invitation to the esteemed President and all our close friends in Myanmar, and we wish to convey that Belarus always keeps its doors open. As the esteemed President mentioned today, we discussed important matters for both our countries in our meeting. In particular, we talked about key sectors such as pharmaceuticals, industrial affairs, agriculture, science and technology, and military cooperation, among others, for collaboration between our two nations.
Regarding our cooperation, even if any individual interferes or raises obstacles, we will continue to move forward without paying attention to such distractions and will carry on with the collaborative efforts between our countries. The reason I emphasize this is that these cooperative efforts are carried out with the interests of the people of both Belarus and Myanmar in mind, especially for the benefit of the citizens of both countries. We will continue to implement all of these initiatives. Esteemed Mr President and all the ministers present, all the points we discussed in today’s meeting can be regarded as the highest-level discussions for the cooperation between our two countries. These discussions are not merely the outcome of today’s meeting alone but build upon previous dialogues held at Business Forums, where ministers from both countries and company representatives in industrial sectors have exchanged views and explored collaboration. Based on the results of today’s discussions, we see that Belarus can fulfil all the needs required by Myanmar, and likewise, Myanmar can supply sectors or goods that Belarus needs. Therefore, both sides will continue these discussions to further enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation. What I would like to add is that there are no restricted or confidential matters between our two countries. We can discuss everything openly and transparently. Esteemed Mr President and Ministers, we are not only interested in selling goods from Belarus, but we also wish to establish factories together and collaborate on business ventures and joint companies between Belarus and Myanmar. In particular, we want to cooperate on businesses that Myanmar needs and establish joint companies here in Myanmar. By setting up such collaborations, both of our countries will gain significant mutual benefits, and all future projects we undertake will have a higher chance of success. Based on the discussions we have had during our meetings, there are set timelines and specific amounts that have been agreed upon. During this period and within these circumstances, both sides will work to successfully implement trade and economic cooperation activities. Esteemed Mr President, from my perspective regarding Myanmar, it is expected that very soon — more precisely, within the next month — a historic election will be held in Myanmar. This election is an important one for the country. After this election, it is understood that its purpose is especially to establish a parliament. From my side, I would like to say again, as a friend, that I support the election led and conducted under your guidance, Mr President, because it is being held for all the people of Myanmar. Regarding this election, it should also be understood that the government is taking actions for the benefit of all the citizens of Myanmar. Esteemed Mr President, I believe that both you and Myanmar have many promising prospects for the future. Under the current circumstances, Myanmar needs to establish stability and peace to realize its future potential. In this regard, as Belarus, we will assist to the best of our ability to support Myanmar’s internal peace and stability. Furthermore, today, Myanmar and Belarus have also signed a Roadmap. This Roadmap details the cooperative activities and joint initiatives between the two countries. From my side, we have already had extensive discussions on economic affairs, agricultural issues, and defence-related matters. At the end of all these discussions, there is one important point: it concerns humanitarian cooperation between our two countries. The areas involved in humanitarian cooperation include medicine, healthcare, and cultural exchange. I would like to emphasize that Belarus will continue to assist in enhancing these humanitarian sectors. I would also like to add that throughout my political career, I have never encountered a government or national leader, like the one you lead, that works every single day with such dedication and effort for their country and their people. Leaders like this are very rare. Therefore, as a country, Belarus is ready to collaborate to ensure the well-being and prosperity of the people of both our nations. We welcome specialists from Myanmar to Belarus and invite discussions on what Myanmar needs. Belarus is always ready to provide support. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the warm and cordial welcome extended to us during this visit, and for taking the time to meet with us.
MNA/KTZH/TTA
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