Alyaksandr Lukashenka is set to see Riga in the near future, he said during Friday’s meeting with Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics.
The main focus was on economy and trade issues; according to the Belarusian leader, the bilateral trade of nearly $600 million is too small when bearing the existing possibilities in mind.
“I would not want politics to dominate the economic agenda; however, if some countries do not understand us and if this affects the Belarusian economy, we will look for better options,» state-run news agency BelTA quotes him.
Belarus has no „big problems“ with Latvia, its leadership and people, Alyaksandr Lukashenka stressed.
In February 2016, in the wake of the latest presidential elections in Belarus, the EU decided to lift its sanctions against Alyaksandr Lukashenka and 169 Belarusian officials cancelling the visa ban and assets freeze. Since then, the Belarusian leader has been free to come to any European city. However, he does not seem to be in hurry.
In September 2018, the Belarusian leader was invited to Paris to take part in the events on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. However, Alyaksandr Lukashenka failed to show up at the celebrations; our country was represented by Mikhail Myasnikovich, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of Belarus.
In March 2019, Polish president Andrzej Duda issued invitations to the ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War to leaders of EU, NATO and the EaP countries, including Alyaksandr Lukashenka. But the Belarusian leader is unlikely to accept it as Russia’s Vladimir Putin was not invited to the event.
In May, the European Union invited Lukashenka to dinner to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the EaP initiative, but it was decided that Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makey would replace him. In 2017, the top Belarusian diplomat also visited the EaP Summit, where the Belarusian president had been invited.
At the same time, Lukashenka would like to come to Vienna in H2 2019. Belsat TV sources confirmed that his visit to Austria was in the making.
