Top diplomats discuss Belarus, Russia ties ahead of leaders’ meeting

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Belarusian and Russian foreign ministers on Monday discussed bilateral ties and other issues of common concern in the Belarusian capital Minsk ahead of a meeting of the leaders of two countries.

Among the issues Sergey Aleinik and Sergey Lavrov addressed were countering Western sanctions and bilateral interaction between Minsk and Moscow on international platforms, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Issues of trade and economic cooperation and the implementation of joint projects were touched upon. The ministers agreed on a date for holding a joint meeting of the collegiums of the foreign ministries. It is planned for the second half of January 2023,” the statement further said.

Aleinik and Lavrov emphasized the need to further develop Belarus-Russia cooperation “in the face of unprecedented external pressure in the interests of improving the well-being of citizens of the two countries,” it added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will later hold talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko during a one-day working visit to Minsk.