Afghanistan Wants To Cooperate With Belarus But Situation Complicated, Says Lukashenko

Aleksandr Lukashenko, the Belarusian President, has said that Afghanistan and Syria want to have economic cooperation with the country, but the situation in both countries is complex and difficult.

Speaking at a meeting in Minsk on Friday, January 17, he said that dozens of countries want to have economic cooperation with Belarus, but it is hard to say that Belarus can meet their demands, Belarusian news agencies reported.

At the same time, Lukashenko added that Belarus's interests and priorities should be at the core of cooperation with other countries.

These statements come as Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Lukashevich visited Kabul last week and met with Taliban officials.

The Taliban's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday, January 12, that Sergei Lukashevich and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister, met and discussed political and economic cooperation.

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai described the visit of the Belarusian official to Kabul as an important development in Belarusian-Afghan relations and the beginning of long-term cooperation.

The Taliban's deputy foreign ministry spokesman also announced that Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai and Sergei Lukashevich agreed that the technical teams of both sides would hold their talks in Kabul and Minsk.