Sabbagh meets his Belarusian counterpart on the sidelines of the 2nd  International Conference on Eurasian Security

MINSK, Oct.29, (ST)-Within the framework of his participation in the 2nd  International Conference on Eurasian Security in Minsk, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Bassam Sabbagh held a discussion today with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov on various aspects of bilateral relations and ways to develop and strengthen them.

Following the bilateral talks, the two ministers gave a statement to reporters, during which Sabbagh expressed his thanks for the invitation to visit Minsk, stressing that he had fruitful and constructive talks with his Belarusian counterpart on many issues.

They also reviewed various aspects of bilateral cooperation between Syria and Belarus, and ways to strengthen them in implementation of the directives of the leaders of the two countries.

Sabbagh pointed out that the discussion dealt with enhancing coordination on political issues, including mutual support in international forums.

In this regard, a memorandum of understanding was signed on political consultations between the foreign ministries of both countries, in addition to discussing enhancing cooperation in the economic, cultural and humanitarian fields.

Moreover, Sabbagh stressed the need to deal with the political developments taking place in both regions within a strategic framework, considering that what they face are common challenges represented primarily by attempts to impose Western hegemony projects on them.

The minister indicated that he informed the Belarusian Foreign Minister of the repercussions of the repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory, as well as the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinians and Lebanese, stressing Syria’s firm position towards the necessity of stopping this aggression immediately, ending the ongoing Israeli occupation of the occupied Arab territories, including the occupied Syrian Golan, condemning the war crimes and genocide committed by the Israeli occupation forces, and demanding that their perpetrators be held accountable and ensuring that they do not escape punishment.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in addition renewed Syria’s support for the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, stressing the role of countries seeking to achieve security and peace in Eurasia through multilateral action and constructive and fair initiatives.

He underlined the agreement of the two sides on rejecting interference in the internal affairs of the two countries, and exposing the destructive practices of the West against them, including illegal unilateral coercive measures.

In this context, they discussed ways and means of cooperation and coordination in order to confront these illegal and inhumane measures, and it was agreed to issue a joint statement on ways to confront and mitigate the negative effects of unilateral coercive measures.

For his part, the Belarusian Minister expressed his keenness to enhance bilateral relations between government institutions in both countries, and his satisfaction with the level of cooperation on the international scene, stressing his country’s support for Syria’s efforts to join the Shanghai Organization.

Ryzhenkov stressed that strengthening friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries will help confront the negative effects of unilateral measures imposed on the peoples of the two friendly countries.

B.Q