Belarus sees Turkey as its strategic partner

Turkey is a strategic partner to Belarus, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday during official talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Minsk.

The Belarusian leader assured his Turkish counterpart that Belarus will be a reliable friend and mainstay for Turkey there, in the economic center of Eurasia.

Lukashenko stressed that the agreements reached between Belarus and Turkey will not be directed against the interests of third countries.

Belarusian President sees promising industrial cooperation between the two countries in the field of automobile and tractor industry, production of automotive components.

The Belarusian president also invited Turkey to create specialized industrial zone in Belarus, a bank with Turkish capital and invited Turkish students to Belarusian universities.

The Belarusian leader said that planned joint enterprises will work in Middle East, Africa, as well as in the states of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Concerning political issues, Lukashenko "decisively condemned the attempted military coup in Turkey, and expressed his support for the democratically elected government".

During the meeting, Erdogan described his visit to Minsk as a turning point in the Belarusian-Turkish relations.

The Turkish leader thanked Belarus for the neutral position, while Turkey had a difficult relationship with Russia.

Following the meeting, Lukashenko and Erdogan signed a joint communiqué. The two presidents also attended the opening of a mosque in Minsk. Enditem