MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela, Belarus strengthen bilateral ties

“Despite the great distance that separates us, we have enormous economic and political coincidences with Belarus,” Adán Chávez said

The Governments of Venezuela and Belarus agreed Wednesday to set up in Caracas the VIII High-Level Joint Committee between the two countries to foster trade agreements and bilateral ties, it was reported.

The Committee is chaired by Venezuela's Planning Minister Ricardo Menéndez and also formed by Belarusian special envoy Viktor Sheiman together with Venezuelan ambassador in Havana, Adán Chávez.

The new body is to evaluate strategic projects in areas such as technology, agribusiness, science, energy and infrastructure, and formulate and implement trade agreements in the fields of energy, science, technology, agribusiness, infrastructure, shared development and housing.

“Let's assume the vision of connection with the future that President Nicolás Maduro is demanding of us,” said Menéndez. He added that production was transversal to the development of both nations. “The links in the productive chains; that is where the roadmap is.”

”We cannot lose sight of the fact that, despite the great distance that separates us, we have enormous economic and political coincidences with Belarus (...) this Committee is the ideal setting for the revitalization of our relations at all levels,” Chávez said.

Also present during the launching ceremony of the Committee at the Foreign Ministry in Caracas were Belarusian Ambassador to Venezuela, Andrei Molchan; Venezuela's Vice Minister for Europe, Daniel Rodríguez; and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López.