On Tuesday, Turkey’s parliament speaker paid an official visit to Minsk, the capital of Belarus. During the visit, the Turkish speaker met the president of Belarus, the Chairman of the Council of the Belarusian National Assembly, Speaker of the House of Representatives Vladimir Andreychenko as well as Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Rumas.
Turkish Speaker Binali Yildrim and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met at the Palace of the Republic to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.
Speaker Yildrim emphasized the importance of strengthening economic, cultural, and technological ties between the two countries. Before departing for Belarus, Speaker Yildrim told reporters at Esenboga Airport in Ankara that Turkey will continue its efforts to reach $1 billion trade with Belarus.
During the meeting, Speaker Yildrim mentioned that Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian migrants. “Turkey pays a huge price due to instability and civil war in Syria. This is why we make great efforts with Russia to find a long-lasting political solution in Syria,” the speaker added.
The Turkish speaker applauded the two countries’ relationship as progressing very well. Yildrim said that Turkey and Belarus share similar approaches on regional and global issues, including the fight against terrorism.
Speaker Yildrim added that Turkey will soon open a Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) in Belarus in an effort to promote Turkish culture and language. Speaker of Turkey is expected to visit the newly built Minsk Mosque and a nursery school built with contributions from Turkey.
As the first country to recognize independence of Belarus, Turkey established diplomatic relations with Belarus in 1992.
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
