News & Events in Belarus

Lukashenko arrives in UAE

MINSK, 25 January (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a visit. The aircraft with the Belarusian head of state on board landed in the Abu Dhabi airport, BelTA has learned.

BelTA previously quoted the Belarus president’s press service as saying that Aleksandr Lukashenko is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe within the next few days upon the invitation of the leadership of the two countries. A number of meetings and negotiations will take place during the visits.

Aleksandr Lukashenko touched upon the theme of cooperation with the United Arab Emirates during his recent visit to the Intellectual Belarus expo. The two countries are implementing a number of large-scale projects. The head of state was particularly interested in developments in the field of artificial intelligence. He had discussed this topic earlier during his meetings with foreign partners, including partners from the United Arab Emirates, a country where artificial intelligence is one of key areas of focus. Aleksandr Lukashenko is ready to go the extra mile to advance cooperation of the UAE side with Belarusian partners: “I have been invited to visit the Emirates. They seriously explore artificial intelligence over there. If you need help, I can help you out. I am going to meet with the person, who takes care of it and finances it,” the head of state said.

Continuing the line of thought, Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled the Northern Waterfront project to build an experimental multifunctional complex in Minsk. “Why did I fall for this: not only because of $5 billion in investments, but also because they promised me to create this smart city as well as a powerful educational platform for artificial intelligence. A university will be there. We will educate people. If you need support or more contacts with these people (they have greatly advanced in this field), feel free to ask,” the head of state said.

In general, trade and economic cooperation between Belarus and the UAE develops steadily. Joint interests and prospects of cooperation lie in such areas as investment, industry, agriculture, banking and finance, transport and logistics, education and scientific research, sport and tourism.

The complementarity of the Belarusian economy and the UAE one is a factor conducive to advancing trade and economic cooperation. In addition to exploiting opportunities of the large UAE market for exporting goods and services Belarus also uses transportation and logistics advantages by shipping Belarusian products from the UAE to Middle East and African countries. Belarus also expects reciprocal initiatives from the UAE private sector.

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