Belarus and Tajikistan have agreed to raise bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the meeting with President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan in Dushanbe on 15 May.

“Our countries are linked by strong bonds of friendship, mutual trust and respect. Today we have discussed bilateral relations and agreed to raise them to the level of strategic partnership. I think it will be a good basis for the development of our relations in all the areas, from economy to culture,” the Belarusian head of state said.

Alexander Lukashenko welcomed an excellent opportunity to discuss in detail the areas of Belarusian-Tajik cooperation. He also drew attention to the continuing growth trends in the bilateral trade this year. The two countries have been successfully promoting industrial cooperation. A number of major events dedicated to Belarus will be held in Tajikistan this week, the head of state noted. Among them are the national exhibition and second international business forum Belarus-Tajikistan-Afghanistan.

“We are ready to work seriously in Tajikistan, to establish joint ventures with you working for the whole region. We will find many more areas for our cooperation. The main thing is that we have trust in each other. And this is the basis on which we can build relationships,” the Belarusian leader noted.