Republic
12.06.2007
There are no unresolved issues in relations of Belarus and Moldova, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said on June 12, as he met with Petru Lucinschi, ex-President of Moldova, head of the Lucinschi Foundation for Strategic Research and Development of International Relations.
The press service of the Belarusian leader quoted him as saying that incumbent Moldova President Vladimir Voronin upholds the same view. The Belarusian head of state met with Vladimir Voronin at a recent informal CIS summit in Saint Petersburg.
The Belarusian leader underlined, he has hearty memories of Petru Lucinschi’s work as the President of Moldova and his kind attitude to Belarus. However, ex-President Petru Lucinschi still plays an important role in Moldova’s domestic political life. “As an experienced politician and a statesman, after visiting our country, you can analyse the situation and suggest something to the current leadership of Moldova”, said Alexander Lukashenko. He noted he would like to learn Petru Lucinschi’s views regarding the development of Belarusian-Moldovan relations.
The President of Belarus said, in the near future Belarus is ready to help Moldova with equipping machine and tractor stations and building roads. “Today our support for Moldovan agriculture is a way to help Moldovan peasants with harvesting”, said Alexander Lukashenko.
At present there over 150 stations equipped with Belarusian machines in Moldova. In 2007 50-70 stations are supposed to be opened, by late 2009 — another 150-200.
The administration of Chisinau plans to increase the bus fleet of the Moldovan capital, planning to buy buses and municipal vehicles. It is rather a promising market for Belarusian producers.
In turn, Petru Lucinschi pointed out the positive dynamics of Belarusian-Moldovan trade growth. He mentioned, in recent years the trade turnover between the two countries has almost tripled. “In our time we laid down the foundation of economic relations between Belarus and Moldova”, said Petru Lucinschi.
The Republic of Moldova is an important trade partner of Belarus and ranks fourth among the CIS states in bilateral trade. Belarus’ main exports to Moldova are petroleum products, tractors, trucks, timber products, bitumen and others. Belarus imports foodstuffs and agricultural products from Moldova. In January-April 2007, the trade turnover between Belarus and Moldova amounted to $61.2 million, 14.8% up on the year. The foreign trade surplus totalled $26.5 million.
The ex-President of Moldova presented his book “Moldova and Moldovans” to Alexander Lukashenko. The book analyses Moldova’s history since ancient times up to the present day.
The Lucinschi Foundation was founded in autumn 2001 after Petru Lucinschi retired from his office of the President of Moldova. The Foundation is a non-governmental organisation, which enjoys weighty authority in Moldova. The main goal of the Foundation is to carry out research in various spheres of public life and to work out acceptable solutions to the existing problems relating to the development of the Moldovan society.
