Sri Lanka Belarus Relationship Reaches New Heights
26th August 2013
The second day marked the highest point of the visit when President Mahinada Rajapaksa met with H.E. Alexander Lukashenko the President of the Republic of Belarus. Presdent Rajapaksa was escorted to the official residence of the President of the Republic of Belarus with a Guarded Motorcade. Upon arrival in front of the palace, the Belarusian leader warmly welcomed President Rajapaksa opening the door of the car of the Sri Lankan leader. National songs of both the countries were sung after which the two leaders inspected the special military parade conducted by the Belarus defense forces in honor of the visiting head of the state.
The leading Belarusian officials were introduced to the Sri Lankan President by the Belarusian President while President Rajapaksa introduced the Sri Lankan delegation to the Belarusian leader. The two leaders held one to one discussions at the official residence of the Belarus president. Matters relating politics, economy and culture were keenly discussed. The Sri Lankan leader praised the people-centric leadership of President Lukashenko which has led to the unprecedented growth and prosperity of Belarus since independence. The President also briefed the Belarusian leader on the developments in Sri Lanka including the massive development drive and the process of resettlement in the North and East. President Lukashenko reiterated his countries unconditional support towards Sri Lanka in every frontier.
Thereafter extended discussions were held with leading officials of the Belarus and Sri Lanka. Various matters of importance were discussed during the meeting. Subsequent to the bilateral meeting the two countries signed several agreements in view of further enhancing the existing bilateral relations.
The following Agreements/MOU’s were signed at the occasion
– Agreement on Visa Exemption for Holders of Diplomatic and Official/Service Passports.
– Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation.
– Agreement on the Field of Military and Technical Cooperation.
– Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement.
– Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Justice of Belarus and the Ministry of Justice of Sri Lanka.
– Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
– Memorandum of Understanding on Air Services.
– Memorandum of Understanding between the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Republican Union of the Tourist Organizations.
– Cooperation Agreement between the Sri Lanka Export Development Board and the National Center for Marketing and Price Studies.
The signing ceremony was followed by a joint declaration where both the leaders made statements. The press conference was covered by all the leading news agencies in the Belarus as well as several media teams from Sri Lanka.
Your Excellency President Lukashenko,
Members of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset let me state how delighted I am to be here in Belarus. This is my first visit to your beautiful country. I am also honoured to be the first Head of State of Sri Lanka to visit Belarus, at the kind invitation of His Excellency President Lukashenko. This year it is 13 years since Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Belarus were established. Therefore it is indeed an auspicious time for me to be here on this official visit.
Relations between Sri Lanka and Belarus have grown steadily. Our bilateral trade in dollar terms has increased by over 50% in the last few years and prospects for enhanced trade relations are high. It is for this reason that I have brought a delegation of leading businessmen from my country to participate in the Business Forum in Minsk. It is extremely important for the business communities of our two countries to personally interact, in order to forge mutually acceptable business links.
President Lukashenko and I have discussed prospects for enhanced trade and foreign direct investment, and joint tourism promotion. Today we have signed 7 bilateral Agreements/MoUs on Exemption of Visa for Holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports, Trade and Economic Cooperation, Avoidance of Double Taxation, Agreement in the Field of Military and Technical Cooperation, MOU between Ministries of Justice, Treaty of on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and Two Memorandums of Understanding were signed in April this year, between the Minsk Department of Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and also with the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which I believe will assist in business interaction.
I have invited a Business Delegation to the Business Forum which will be held in November 2013 in the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Earlier this morning I had extremely fruitful discussions with President Lukashenko and appreciate His Excellency’s pledge to fully support initiatives that will enhance cooperation between our two countries in a range of fields, which include tourism, agriculture, power and energy, education, social, culture and technology and political cooperation. We will shortly commence negotiations that will lead to the conclusion of Agreements on Cooperation in the fields of Agriculture, Education, Mass Media and Sports.
The leadership skills of His Excellency President Lukashenko have been amply demonstrated both nationally and internationally.
I am looking forward to my meeting with Prime Minister Myasnikovich and the Chairmen of both houses of the National Assembly and to tour many parts of your beautiful capital city, which is a symbol of your country’s outstanding achievements and progress under the dynamic and visionary leadership of President Lukashenko.
As an expression of our desire to share our cultural traditions with the people of Belarus, and enhance people to people contact, we have here in Minsk from Colombo, one of our famous cultural dance troupes, who performed at a special cultural show yesterday at the National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre. I am aware of your country’s own rich cultural heritage and look forward to welcoming very soon your artists in Colombo.
Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of my delegation, I express my appreciation for the cordial reception accorded to me and the warm hospitality of your Government and people. I have come to Minsk as a friend of Belarus and to convey to President Lukashenko the assurance of the strongest support for your country, both at bilateral and multilateral levels.
I have invited President Lukashenko to visit Sri Lanka at an early opportunity and we look forward to welcoming His Excellency to Colombo.
In conclusion let me thank the members of the media for demonstrating their interest in Sri Lanka’s relations with Belarus, by your presence here today.
