BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

07/12/2007

Belarusian President Begins Visit To Venezuela

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka on December 6 left for Venezuela for an official visit, the presidential press office announced. Lukashenka is scheduled to meet with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez to discuss "the entire spectrum of cooperation" between the two countries. Lukashenka is also scheduled to attend an opening ceremony for an exhibition of Belarusian manufacturers in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Relations between Belarus and Venezuela have grown stronger since Chavez's July 2006 visit to Minsk, when he said that "Belarus is a model of a socialist state, which we are also building," and called on other countries to stand up to "the hegemonic interests of the capitalists." The two countries have since signed agreements on joint oil extraction and the participation of Belarusian specialists in the development of residential areas in Venezuela. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2007/12/3-cee/cee-071207.asp