As part of the ongoing working visit to Oman Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with President of the Oman Investment Authority (OIA) Abdulsalam bin Mohammed Al Murshidi. The parties analyzed the entire complex of Belarusian-Omani joint projects, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “We have something to talk about. We’ve been working with you for a long time. We’ve worked out many interesting Belarusian-Omani joint projects. It may be the time to systematize them and make up our minds about how we are going to work from now on. But I am satisfied with your latest statement. I remember it. You told me: ‘Mr. President, in the next year or two you will see real movement on those concrete projects that you and I have sketched out’.”
The main topics discussed during the meeting included the creation of a Belarusian-Omani investment fund in Minsk for the sake of financing projects in Belarus’ territory; the construction of a pulp and cardboard mill in Belarus; the establishment of a logistics hub in Oman for the sake of delivering Belarusian goods to neighboring countries and regions and the development of the North-South route; investments in agribusiness projects in Belarus for the sake of consequently exporting the food to Oman and countries in the region as well as possible shipments of Omani sea food to Belarus.
The development of a tourism cluster in Oman and investments in tourism facilities in Belarus’ territory with Oman’s assistance were also discussed.
Prospects of realization of a trilateral project involving Belarus, Oman, and Algeria to make compound fertilizers represented another topic.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also noted that there are opportunities for advancing cooperation with Oman in the areas this country is interested in such as healthcare and pharmaceutics. Education was mentioned as a promising cooperation area.
“We are absolutely open to you in these fields and we know how to do something,” the president said.
The president watched a detailed presentation on the progress of implementing the Belarus-Oman cooperation roadmap. Specific facts concerning projects and deadlines were presented.
Director General of the holding company Oman Food Capital (a daughter enterprise of the Oman Investment Authority that invests in agriculture and food) Abdullah Al Rashdi and the OIA representative in charge of overseeing cooperation with Belarus Ali Al Farsi were also present during the meeting.
“I am very glad that that after my visit to Algeria and negotiations with the president of Algeria… By the way, he is a very thorough, intelligent, and experienced person. I really liked him. He’s completely down-to-earth. So after this visit certain additional projects have been sketched out that you and I have agreed to discuss. These are trilateral projects,” the head of state said. “In this period, after my return from Algeria and my conversation with you we’ve tried to systematize what we’ve previously agreed on. I mean these concrete projects. We are talking about 7-8 concrete areas.”
The president assured that Belarus is ready to advance cooperation with Oman in other areas as well and sees serious interest in that on the part of Omani friends. “And especially from your leader. We are fortunate to have a true friend of the Belarusian people in the Sultan of Oman, who has recently visited Belarus,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
“You and I have defined the strategy of our cooperation. The gateways are open. As you and I have agreed, we need to deepen our work on these projects,” the president stated.
A joint investment fund
Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that the parties had agreed to set up a Belarusian-Omani joint investment fund in Minsk that will finance projects in Belarus’ territory.
“The flagship project or as we call it, the anchor project is the construction of a paper and cardboard mill in Belarus. We have the experience and competences. Our wood processing industry is very well developed,” the president said.
He said he was confident that the project is unlikely to encounter any major problems. Pre-investment and design work is already underway for this project. The construction site has been chosen.
A hub in Oman to trade in Belarusian goods
“You may have already made sure that we have learned how to produce in Belarus practically everything that this region needs. Our foreign policy describes it as a far-arc region. But I honestly admit that we are significantly less skilled at trade than our Omani partners. Moreover, you possess huge opportunities in this region,” the president said. “Particularly in East Africa. Accidentally, you enjoy excellent relations with those African countries where our own positions are not as strong.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that this is why the decision had been made (and the Omani side had provided support with that) to set up a Belarusian hub in Oman as a center for transshipping goods. They will be shipped both to the Middle East region and a number of other ones, including Southeast Asia and Myanmar where the Belarus president had recently been to on official visits, and ending with African countries.
“Certain progress in this direction has already been secured. And not just certain progress. I guess we are halfway there. We already ship certain goods here for subsequent re-export to the markets I have just mentioned,” the Belarusian leader noted.
Cooperation in agribusiness and food deliveries
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that interest in this field will only grow stronger in the future. Particularly in the region where Oman is located. He is confident that food will enjoy ever growing demand.
“This is a sector where we can trade with confidence. Even today our cooperation goes beyond a simple exchange of agricultural products. In other words, you supply us with what you have and what we need. And we supply you with what we can produce and you need. In particular, dairy and meat products. We have agreed that after tasting all of that, you are ready to expand cooperation. This is why the exchange of goods is already underway. But it is a very important topic for us. And we are grateful to you for your support,” the head of state stated.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also mentioned it is necessary to increase output figures and work directly. “We are ready for your representatives in Belarus to work directly with our agricultural enterprises and processing plants to supply food here [to Oman],” he said.
A Belarusian oasis in Oman
The president stated that a very important endeavor is to establish Oman as a tourist destination for Belarus citizens.
“As you know, we are a northern country. Very many Belarusians travel all over the world in search of the best place for recreation. We would very much like to have our own Belarusian tourist cluster here, not far from the airport, so that our people could diversify their tourist trips,” the president said. “I am very grateful to you and to my friend Sultan of Oman for granting us a huge land plot in a unique, exotic part of Oman. It’s a place unlike the typical Omani landscape. It has practically no sand dunes and mountains but it has a true oasis with an air temperature that is acceptable for our people. We would like to build kind of a tourism hub over there together with you and our investors, who might be interested in it. A hub our people would like to visit.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko stated that certain progress had already been made to that effect. Direct flights from Belarus to Oman became available not so long ago.
“We are ready for our people to come here more often. Not only to the Emirates and other countries, but also to Oman. The local nature is spectacular and open ocean is available. I am sure our people would gladly make use of this tourist destination,” the head of state stated.
A project for three countries to make compound fertilizers
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that during his official visits and negotiations, in particular, in Algeria, many avenues of cooperation had been revealed. One of them is the production of compound NPK fertilizers. Those are compound mineral fertilizers that contain three main nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
“Our Algerian friends are very interested in it. As you know, Algeria possesses huge natural gas reserves. It means we will have the ability to produce nitrogen fertilizers. We know how to do that. We have a large plant for that in Grodno,” the head of state noted. “As the president of Algeria told me, in the near future they will have the ability to produce 10.5 million tonnes of phosphates. It is a phosphate fertilizer production line. We have a corresponding company, a huge plant that produces similar fertilizers. We know how to do it. Apart from nitrogen fertilizers, we also produce phosphate fertilizers.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko went on saying that at least Belarus is one of the main producers of potash fertilizers.
“Combining these three types of fertilizers into a single granule is exactly what the market needs today. We also know how to do it. Why don’t we create an enterprise, in which we can invest together with you and Algeria? If it is located in Algeria,” the head of state suggested.
The president stressed that it would be pointless to talk about any food security in countries of Africa and the Global South without available fertilizers. “The world’s demand for mineral fertilizers grows and will continue growing. Because food is necessary,” he said.