May 20, Minsk / Tatyana Polezhay - BELTA/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, at a meeting with the Speaker of the People's (Lower) House of Parliament of India, Meira Kumar, emphasized the importance of relations with India, a BELTA correspondent reports.
"India is a giant, incredibly rich, leading country in the world, and relations with India are very important to us," said the head of state. Alexander Lukashenko noted that bilateral relations have a long history and have significantly intensified in recent years.
Speaking about the trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, the President noted that the existing trade turnover of half a billion dollars is very small. "I think we need to set even greater goals and move from simple trade exchange to cooperative ties, create joint ventures here and in India, and deepen our trade and economic relations," said the Belarusian leader.
Regarding politics and diplomacy, Alexander Lukashenko stressed that the two countries have no problems in this area. The head of the Belarusian state thanked the Indian side for the position it takes in international organizations. "We highly appreciate this," said the President. "We will always support India, because there has never been a case where India refused support to Belarus."
Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus and India have a good basis for cooperation, and the visit of the Indian Parliament Speaker to Belarus is evidence that the countries are determined to develop bilateral relations.
Meira Kumar, in turn, conveyed the best wishes from the President, Prime Minister, and people of India to the head of the Belarusian state. "Belarus and India have traditionally maintained warm and cordial friendly relations," she said, adding that in recent years the countries have managed to improve bilateral trade and economic cooperation. -0-