Lukashenko suggests developing country plans for cooperation with former USSR republics

I think we need to develop country plans for cooperation with the former republics of the USSR, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Kyrgyzstan Ambassador to Belarus Ermek Ibraimov in Minsk on 30 October BelTA has learned.

"I often think about the interaction of Belarus with the post-Soviet republics. Take Kyrgyzstan for example. I usually come to the conclusion that we cooperate with the republics spontaneously. Something is left over from the Soviet period. For example, we used to buy sugar beet seeds from you. We continue to do so. We are satisfied with the quality and so on. But we are yet to approach the cooperation in the systemic way, we are yet to draw up a roadmap of cooperation between Belarus and the republics of the former Soviet Union who want to cooperate with us," the president said.

At the same time, such an approach is applied to cooperation with other countries, including remote countries. "We make separate decisions with regard to the cooperation with individual countries. For example, we issue presidential decrees on cooperation with Russia, China and so on," the Belarusian leader said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko assumed that it is about the attitude to cooperation with the post-Soviet republics: "They are already our cousins, we will always have good relations with them. On the other hand, we need such roadmaps."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to put together country plans for relations, especially with Kyrgyzstan. We have a lot to offer Kyrgyzstan. They have a lot of things that we need. We must build on such ties," the head of state stressed.