Belarus was, is, and will be a reliable partner for China. This was stated by the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, during negotiations in Beijing with the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
"I am pleased to discuss current cooperation issues with you in a friendly atmosphere. And, as has always been the case between us, to express my point of view on various issues of international relations. The development of comprehensive and all-weather strategic cooperation between Belarus and China is determined by the unity of our ideologies and the very logic of global events and processes that are happening today," said Aleksandr Lukashenko. "Our meeting on March 1 (2023. - BELTA's note) was largely fateful and set the dynamics for the entire year. Since March, over 120 mutual visits have been organised. These are various visits. And what is most pleasing is that these are visits related to production, trade, and economic relations."
The head of the Belarusian state emphasised that the historic elevation of relations has given a powerful impetus to the deepening of traditional areas and has launched new vectors and mechanisms of cooperation.
"Belarus was, is, and will be a reliable partner for China. I think no one in China needs to be convinced of this anymore. All this has been before my eyes for the last 30 years, and even more: I first came to China as a Member of Parliament," stated the Belarusian leader.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also noted his long-standing acquaintance with Xi Jinping and their joint work on developing bilateral relations.
"We have extensive experience, we know what our countries need. And we have done a great deal in this regard," said the President of Belarus.
"We decided long ago that we would cooperate and live in friendship with China. As I have already said, this friendship is over 30 years old. And we have never deviated from this path, neither to the left nor to the right," emphasised the President.
Aleksandr Lukashenko thanked Xi Jinping for the current meeting, noting that the Chinese leader has had a very demanding schedule recently, with a huge number of international meetings, not to mention issues of domestic policy within China itself.
"Reflecting on this point, I thought: well, this is the burden of one of the leaders of our planet," noted the head of state. "Therefore, I am very grateful to you for this meeting, for your promptness."