Syria, Belarus to sign new energy, economy agreements

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Syria and Belarus reached agreements on Wednesday that will expand and bolster cooperation between the two countries, especially on the levels of culture and education.

The meeting was held at the level of the premiership, with Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko and Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous meeting in the Syrian capital, Damascus. 

"First of all, we discussed the contribution that Belarus can make to the restoration and development of Syria's economic potential. I believe that we were able to find the solutions that will bring our cooperation to a new more productive level," Golovchenko said at the conclusion of the bilateral meeting.

Arnous, on the other hand, affirmed that the Belarusian delegation's visit to Syria formulated a pivotal point in the countries' bilateral ties and an important step in terms of enhancing cooperation between the two at the direction of the presidency and in the interest of the two countries' peoples.

Arnous also underlined the importance of trade between the two countries, as well as overcoming all the obstacles they are facing in terms of the availability of their products.

According to the Syrian premier, the energy sector is highly profitable and attractive to investors. He also called on the leading Belarusian energy firms to enter the Syrian markets for investments that would have high returns.

Golovchenko also touched on the humanitarian aspect of cooperation between the two countries. "Since 2017, by the decision and initiative of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus hosted Syrian children for rest and rehabilitation. In 2023, we will increase the volume of such assistance and will host even more Syrian children in Belarus.

The Belarusian official said this kind of relationship between Minsk and Damascus helps strengthen the human ties between the peoples of Syria and Belarus.

It is noteworthy that trade between Syria and Belarus reached in 2021 $8.2 million, which marked a stark 41.3% year-on-year increase, with Belarusian exports totaling $7.1 million.

Syria imports defense and security products, milk powder, whey medicines, tractors, and truck tractors from Belarus, while the latter imports olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and coffee from the Western Asian country.

Belarus and Syria have a joint commission on trade, economic, and technical cooperation, with the body's members meeting together in January.

The Belarusian delegation arrived at the Damascus International Airport on Wednesday morning on a two-day trip that Syria is hosting with the intention of opening up new horizons in terms of cooperation to serve the interests of their peoples and overcoming the challenges the growth of their bilateral ties is facing.