The Republic of Belarus is interested in sister city collaboration between the Brest Region of Belarus and Maharashtra. It is also eager to strengthen trade, business, tourist, and cultural ties with India.
The newly appointed consul general of Belarus in Mumbai, Aliaksandra Matsukou, shared this during his meeting with Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais on Tuesday at Raj Bhavan Mumbai.
Matsukou, the first full-time consul general appointed by Belarus in Mumbai, informed the Governor that the Belarusian Foreign Minister had a meeting with the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, in New Delhi, during which the framework of regional cooperation was discussed.
The consul general informed that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko was keen to develop strong relations with India and intended to visit India, specifically Maharashtra.
The consul general added that Belarus had strong relations with India when it was part of the Soviet Union and is keen to restore them.
Further, the consul-general said Belarus, an Eastern European nation, intended to act as a bridge between the European Union and the Russian Federation. He added that the Internal Ministry of Belarus was keen to offer Mumbai expertise in traffic management. He said that to strengthen humanitarian relations, the Government of Belarus will take 30 children from an orphanage near Pune to Belarus for an excursion.
Mentioning his recent visit to the Tadoba tiger reserve and the botanical garden in Chandrapur, he applauded India’s efforts in environmental conservation.
According to the top diplomat, Indian culture, especially its music, dance, yoga, and films, is popular in Belarus. He said the country will organise its (own) ‘Cultural Day’ in New Delhi and Mumbai.
Welcoming the consul general of Belarus to Maharashtra, Governor Bais said he would be happy to see academic collaboration, especially student, faculty, and cultural exchange between the universities in Maharashtra and Belarus.
The Governor hoped the opening of direct flights between New Delhi and Minsk would promote two-way tourism.
