BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

16/01/2010

Georgia - The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili met the Vice President of Byelorussia Andrei Kobyakov

The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili met the Vice President of Byelorussia Andrei Kobyakov today. The Vice President of Byelorussia is visiting Batumi within the frames of Energy Summit. The main subject of the meeting was the relationships between the two countries. The representative of Byelorussia once again expressed his support towards Georgia and stressed his attention on the existing traditions between the two countries and on the future cooperation.

"First of all I wish to greet you. I am always delighted to see our Byelorussian friends.

In summer I observed a huge inflow of tourists from Belarus in Batumi and I hope the number of Byelorussian tourists will further increase. They are very pleasant, friendly and disciplined people. It is very pleasant to have relations with them. We would like to further develop these ties. We would be glad if Georgians more actively travel to Belarus on their business trips or educational purposes and vice versa.

I want to say that we appreciate the firm position, predictability and wisdom of the Byelorussian government. All this is expressed in Georgia-Byelorussian relations, and among CIS countries as well.

We respect the firmness and courage with which Belarus copes with these challenges. I much appreciated the fact that a significant group of Belarus MPs - I was closely watching the debates - has openly supported Georgia's territorial integrity. I think that Georgian people will never forget it.

We are now watching the process that despite the global crisis, despite great problems in Europe, despite the fact that Baltic and other states around you face difficult economic problems, despite pressure on your economy from various sides, Belarus is almost the only country in the region with positive balance and economic growth.

On the other hand, you are implementing economic reforms and we wish you success in everything. In any case, you should know that the Belarus people have friends in Georgia and we have a great sympathy towards your country, your people and your political, state figures. So, we are always glad to welcome you here in Georgia", stated Mikehil Saakashvili.

"Thank you very much for the kind words. I was coming to Georgia with goodwill and interest. This is my first visit in Georgia and I hope to see places, which I have never visited before. The Prime Minister and I had a chance to speak about trade relationships very seriously. Many Georgian brands are really appreciated in Byelorussia. You can see Georgian wine, Georgian mineral water in every Byelorussian store that has a license to sell these types of products. We are interested a lot in importing citrus and some other products that are not available in Byelorussia, but we needed these products during the Communists time and now as well. This is why we are ready to cooperate with you in these spheres".

Mikheil Saakashvili noted that citrus and other products produced from citrus are shipped to Byelorussia from several regions of Georgia. He also spoke about the quality of wine. He noted that despite diverse evaluations and concerns Byelorussia not only limited the import of Georgian products but the increase of import can be observed since 2006.

The President of Georgia spoke about the issue of mechanization and stated that Georgian villages need tractors produced in Byelorussia. The President pointed out that the Government of Georgia is planning to sign some big contracts in this direction. Mikheil Saakashvili expressed his hope that Georgian and Byelorussian governments will reach agreement on this issue.

Anrei Kobyakov believes that this is a very good subject for bilateral relations and the development of this issue will deepen the cooperation of the two countries.

"Besides the fact that we can provide ready equipment and can as well provide you with all the necessary aggregates, necessary for the working process, we can also construct enterprise", he noted.

The President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili offered Andrei Kobyakov the acquisition of Poti and Kutaisi free economic zones for constructing enterprises and tourism facilities.

Source:

http://www.isria.com/pages/16_January_2010_32.php


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