Events
Belarus' FM meets with delegations from Mozambique, Botswana, Ghana
MINSK, 6 June (BelTA) – On 5 June Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maksim Ryzhenkov hosted delegations from three African countries - Botswana, Ghana and Mozambique - headed by the agriculture ministers. BelTA has learned what agreements were reached, what documents were signed and how they will impact the bilateral relations.
Big delegations from several African countries came to Minsk to take part in the 35th international exhibition Belagro 2025. Agriculture is an economic mainstay in most countries of this continent, thus Belarus' expertise and knowledge and advanced technologies in the agricultural industry are of great interest to them. These countries are ready to build cooperation in other sectors as well, so the time spent in Belarus was packed with events. One of the most important of them was a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Maksim Ryzhenkov.
A great start for Botswana
Maksim Ryzhenkov's first meeting was with a delegation of Botswana led by Minister of Lands and Agriculture Edwin Gorataone Dikoloti. Maksim Ryzhenkov thanked him for the visit and for participation in the agricultural exhibition Belagro. The Belarusian foreign minister remarked that one of the reasons for the visit was meeting with Belarusian officials in order to map out plans to promote bilateral cooperation.
“This is an excellent start that will give impetus to our interaction,” the minister emphasized. He named agriculture as a priority area of cooperation. Indeed, agriculture is a key economic sector for many African countries. In this sense, the Belagro exhibition offers an excellent opportunity to study Belarus' huge potential in the agricultural industry.
According to the minister, time is ripe to translate plans into actions in order to give more substance to cooperation. In this regard, he mentioned that he invited the foreign minister of Botswana to visit Minsk in the near future and expressed hope that upon returning home, Edwin Gorataone Dikoloti would spread the word about cooperation opportunities with Belarus.
According to Edwin Gorataone Dikoloti, his country is interested in developing contacts with Belarus. They view Belarus as a partner state that is committed to building cooperation on a mutually beneficial and respectful basis. He pointed to the high level of agricultural mechanization in Belarus and confirmed interest in cooperation in this area. In addition, he suggested intensifying humanitarian cooperation with a focus on higher education and vocational training of young people from Botswana in Belarus.
The parties discussed ways to step up political dialogue and ministry-to-ministry communication, expand economic relations and create a legal framework for bilateral relations. They emphasized that their priority is long-term cooperation.
Mozambique. Long history of relations and bright prospects
At the meeting with Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Minister of Mozambique Roberto Mito Albino, the Belarusian foreign minister noted that Belarus and Mozambique have a long history of relations that started even before our country gained independence. Many decades ago Belarusians, along with other Soviet specialists, helped Mozambique during the early stages of its statehood.
At present, agriculture is the core and priority of bilateral cooperation, the Belarusian foreign minister remarked. Yet, the two countries can expand and intensify cooperation by tapping into related industries, like the processing industry and infrastructure development. In this regard, the parties expressed interest in holding the next meeting of the joint commission as soon as possible and implementing the bilateral economic agenda.
Maksim Ryzhenkov emphasized that Belarus is ready not only to increase trade with Mozambique, but also to provide its technologies and equipment and help with personnel training, which will allow Mozambique to ramp up its own production and increase the level of mechanization in agriculture, thus ensuring food security.
Zimbabwe, which is Mozambique's neighbor, is a good example of how a country can benefit from cooperation with Belarus. He also noted that Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has repeatedly urged to expand cooperation with Mozambique and encouraged all responsible officials to do work on it.
Roberto Mito Albino responded that the fruitful cooperation between Zimbabwe and Belarus is truly inspiring. Therefore, during their visit to Minsk, the delegation did not only study cooperation prospects in agriculture, but also explored ways to expand cooperation in manufacturing, in particular in mechanical engineering. The parties confirmed their mutual interest in pursuing this path of cooperation.
Vast opportunities for Ghana
At the meeting with Ghana's Minister of Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku, Maksim Ryzhenkov said that Belarus seeks to build consistent and multifaceted relations with this country that will go beyond cooperation in the agricultural sector.
“You can find everything you need in Belarus. And this concerns not only food products, but also educational opportunities, mechanical engineering and much more,” he said.
Particular attention at the talks was paid to the launch of a joint project in agricultural mechanization in Ghana, which involves the supply of Belarusian equipment and the creation of service centers.
Outcomes and effects of the talks
The foreign minister's meetings with the delegations of Botswana, Mozambique and Ghana focused on efforts to intensify cooperation across all areas of the bilateral agenda, which includes the exchange of visits, joint trade and economic projects and other issues of mutual interest.
Following the negotiations, bilateral intergovernmental memorandums to promote cooperation in agriculture were signed with Botswana and Mozambique.
It is absolutely certain that the visit to Minsk and the signing of important documents mark substantial progress in Belarus' efforts to implement the Belarusian president's strategy to expand cooperation with African countries. Belarus has several anchor partners in Africa, including Zimbabwe and Mozambique located in the south of the continent. These countries hold an advantageous geographical position and consider Belarus as a real alternative to the West's dictate.
“Mozambique needs us more than Zimbabwe. I know that for sure. The president of Zimbabwe (who has good relations with the leadership of Mozambique) has promised me to help establish presence in Mozambique. Thus, we can reach Zimbabwe directly from Mozambique and its ports. They need everything. They know us, they appreciate us and are ready to work with us,” Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting to discuss Belarus' industry on 22 July 2024.
Our country is ready to build and expand its presence in other countries of the region. Its overtures are met with a lot of enthusiasm. Seeing how Zimbabwe benefits from cooperation with Belarus, many African states have realized that there is a real alternative to the exploitation and dictate of the West and transnational corporations. Thanks to Zimbabwe's joint agricultural mechanization program, the country has been fully self-sufficient in wheat since 2022, it exports surpluses to neighboring Mozambique and Botswana. Seeing such impressive results, these two countries have expressed interest in developing cooperation with Belarus.
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