UAE, Belarus Mark 20 Years of Strong Ties

Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei has expressed his country's desire to further strengthen relations with the UAE. In an interview with the Emirates News Agency, Makei said the Government and the people of Belarus value the friendship between the two countries and have always looked at bilateral relations from an overall strategic perspective. "To continuously consolidate and strengthen Belarus-UAE relations is not only in the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but is also conducive to solidarity and cooperation between the two countries, he added.

Below is the full text of the interview: - Your Excellency, what you can say on the occasion of 20th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the UAE and Belarus? It is the event that we sincerely welcome and celebrate with our friends in the Emirates. The 20th Anniversary makes us reflect on how we can expand and strengthen relations between the people of Belarus and the UAE. The day of 20 October 1992 was a foundation stone in the history of our two countries. Belarus and the UAE have both changed in the 20 years since diplomatic relations were established in 1992. The changes in the UAE, economically, socially, and politically, are very impressive. And Belarus is also a very different place compared to 1992.

After the fall of the Soviet Union all former Soviet republics faced a deep economic crisis. Belarus was no exception. But we have chosen our own way of overcoming that crisis. Belarus managed to retain its industrial base and to overcome those trying times of early independence. That was the time when Belarus started to develop a broader look at partnership in an open and frank manner with the countries in different continents. Nowadays Belarus is a modern state with strong industrial and agricultural sectors of economy, high social standards and educational level. The country carried out comprehensive and evolutionary reforms over the last two decades which significantly benefited its society. It was an important step in preserving the dignity of the nation and opening a wider window of opportunity to engage with partners like the UAE.

The 20th Anniversary offers us an opportunity to recall the evolution of Belarus-UAE relations and consider new ideas and initiatives to strengthen, enrich and deepen our future engagement. How can you describe the relations between UAE and Belarus, what is your vision regarding the promotion of these relations in the future? Belarus has a warm and growing relationship with the UAE.

Important milestones in the rapidly expanding relationship between the two countries were the decisions of both governments to exchange embassies in Abu Dhabi and in Minsk. Belarus' diplomatic mission was opened in December 1999. And it is since the opening of the UAE Embassy in the Republic of Belarus in October 2008 that it became possible to redouble our efforts to make one relationship ever more vibrant and productive. Two visits of President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to the United Arab Emirates in 2000 and in 2007 and discussions he had with the UAE leadership proved the existence of solid potential for expanding our relations in different sectors.

The first visit of the UAE Foreign Minister H.H. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Belarus in May 2009 opened a new page in political cooperation between our countries. Discussed during the visit were such areas of cooperation as defense and security, trade and investment, energy and climate change, international development, culture, education, health, sport and consular relations. Both countries agreed to create a UAE-Belarus Joint Committee which would consider a wide range of issues to promote cooperation in all those sectors.

Very promising discussions took place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi earlier this year between Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus H.E. Dr. Mikhail Myasnikovich and the UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum as well as Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE and Belarusian diplomatic missions are now closely working together to live up to those high-level agreements and are making concerted efforts to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The exchanges we already share in the field of culture are encouraging. Artists from the UAE and Belarus participate in arts exhibitions held in both countries. In 2010, Abu Dhabi welcomed Days of culture of Belarus. For about a week the residents of Abu Dhabi could enjoy a special ballet performance by the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus, a dance performance by popular Belarusian folklore ensemble as well as a unique concert of the Chamber Orchestra of Young Talents of the Republican Musical College. Modern art works of the Belarusian painters exhibited during the cultural week gave the visitors unforgettable and enjoyable moments. Such events help to promote people to people relations that in turn have a positive impact on cooperation between the countries across the board. Our strong political ties are the foundation for a broader relationship covering trade, tourism and people to people links.

- What are the main issues to be discussed with the UAE in the near future? Steady evolution of our bilateral dialogue and joint efforts to discover new opportunities in different areas surely leave us some issues we are working on now and are planning to constructively discuss on future occasions. By no means does it imply that those issues are discussed occasionally. Diplomatic missions of both countries are working hard to flush out the bilateral agenda and streamline all facets of interaction. We are particularly focused now on the first session of the Belarus-UAE Joint Committee which I mentioned earlier. This is considered to be a kind of a round table between our countries to be held regularly with a view to take stock of the high-level agreements that we have reached in the past and outline our future activities. We hope to host the first session of the Joint Committee in Minsk by the end of 2012. That will also be a good opportunity to diversify our legal framework consisting of major economic agreements and some specialized MOUs. Belarus and the UAE have finalized and prepared for signing a number of important bilateral documents which will open new windows of opportunity for our entities.

- Have you any ambitions of reaching any strategic economic partnership with the UAE that might open new horizons of economic and trade cooperation? The Government and the people of Belarus value the friendship between the two countries and have always looked at bilateral relations from an overall strategic perspective. To continuously consolidate and strengthen Belarus-UAE relations is not only in the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but is also conducive to solidarity and cooperation between the two countries.

On October 5, 2012 when the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE Mohammed Abdullah Al Ghafli presented credentials to Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian leader said "Belarus views the United Arab Emirates as one of the most promising partners in the Gulf and the Middle East". Our President underlined a significant interest of Belarus in expanding comprehensive cooperation with the UAE. First of all, this pertains to investments, trade and economy, and implementation of joint projects. The President made a special emphasis on the economic field. "I think in the near future we will be able to materialize our words and ideas. We would like to have support in the Gulf," the Head of State said. I am convinced that there are many opportunities to develop trade and investment cooperation between our countries.

All sectors of the economy of Belarus are open to the UAE investments. The investors are guaranteed equal, without discrimination, protection of rights and legitimate interests. The UAE companies have invested in Belarus $ 6.3 million of total $ 4 billion of inward FDIs in 2011. Frankly speaking, this figure does not reflect our real potential, and there is still much to do for both sides to significantly increase our cooperation through implementation of joint investment projects. Striving to further promote business initiative and its investment potential Belarus will host in Minsk on 15-16 November the 7th Belarusian investment forum to which are invited major UAE companies such as Mubadala, ADAC, Al Habtoor Group, Masdar, ADFD, Invest AD, GHC, AlDar, IPIC, ADPC and many others.

Today Belarus has trade relations with more than 180 countries around the world with a total value of its export and import in goods and services of about $ 90 billion in 2011. At present we are interested in trade diversification, and the nations in the Gulf and the UAE particularly are considered as important markets. Looking ahead, we are confident that the next 20 years will lead to a closer cooperation and our relations will continue to strengthen. Taking this opportunity, I would like to reiterate my sincere congratulations to all UAE and Belarusian readers on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries and wish the wise leadership of the UAE strong health and the friendly people of the United Arab Emirates well-being, peace and prosperity.