MFA: Belarus, Nicaragua committed to bolstering bilateral cooperation

Belarus and Nicaragua are committed to bolstering the pace and expanding the range of areas of bilateral cooperation, Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Evgeny Shestakov said at a meeting of the joint Belarus-Nicaragua commission on trade and economic cooperation in Minsk on 4 October, BelTA has learned.

The diplomat noted that the current meeting of the commission is the first meeting in this format over the past eight years. The agreement to hold and, in fact, to restart the commission was reached in July 2023 during a visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Sergei Aleinik to Managua. "The intergovernmental agreement signed then made it possible to formalize and lay the legal basis for the further activities of this important bilateral body. The very fact of the resumption of the commission and such prompt implementation of the agreements clearly confirm the mutual interest and commitment of our countries to bolstering the pace and expanding the range of areas of bilateral cooperation," Evgeny Shestakov said.

"Belarus considers Nicaragua as an important political, trade and economic partner in the Latin American region, a reliable ally in the international arena," he stressed.

The deputy minister described the commission as an effective tool for comparing notes and resolving issues arising in the course of current joint projects: "Meetings in this format will also allow us to intensify cooperation in a substantive and objective manner, primarily in trade and economy."

"We always have something to offer each other, and we have something to strive for in our cooperation," Evgeny Shestakov said. "We see the potential of strategic partnership in the relations between our countries."

Very open and productive negotiations with the Nicaraguan side were held in Minsk, the deputy minister noted. "We discussed in great detail the current state of Belarusian-Nicaraguan cooperation, the status of the agreements reached during the mutual visits of the foreign ministers of the two countries in May and July 2023, primarily regarding the supply of Belarusian equipment to Nicaragua, and outlined further steps for their implementation," he said.

The products made by MAZ, AMKODOR, MTZ and other flagships of the Belarusian manufacturing sector have great prospects in Latin America. "I am convinced that our famous tractors and trucks will be in demand in Nicaragua as the country implements ambitious infrastructure projects," Evgeny Shestakov emphasized. He also spoke about the prospects of cooperation in agriculture, in particular regarding the use of Belarusian agricultural technologies in Nicaragua.

To expand bilateral cooperation, the commission considered the possibilities of cooperation in other areas: housing and industrial construction, cooperation in food, light industry, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Considerable attention was paid to the development of investment cooperation, promoting business ties between the two countries, and enhancing regional cooperation. In this context, the issues of establishing direct ties between the capital cities of Belarus and Nicaragua were discussed.

"For the successful development of cooperation, we have already created a solid legal framework and we are planning to expand it. I am confident that the foundation that we are building today will allow us to implement the most ambitious initiatives in the near future," the deputy minister summed up.