Belarus ready to become Silk Road hub: president

Belarus intends to become one of the key hubs of the new Silk Road in the Eurasian region, President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday during his annual state of the nation address.

Belarus can not stay away from the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and wants to make the maximum use of the incentives offered by China to promote the revival of the ancient Silk Road trade routes, the Belarusian leader said.

Lukashenko noted a distinctive feature of this initiative is that China is investing colossal funds in the development of the countries along the Belt and Road.

The Chinese people have "made the right decision" based on the current situation, the president said, adding that the initiative would pave the way to new markets and boost development in many countries. Endi