Minsk, Belarus – His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik arrived in Minsk on a two-day state visit to the Republic of Belarus on Monday evening.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko led the welcoming party for His Majesty the Sultan upon his arrival at the Independence Palace in Minsk. He wished His Majesty the Sultan and his accompanying delegation a pleasant stay.

President Lukashenko accompanied His Majesty the Sultan to the dais of honour where the Omani Royal Anthem and the Belarusian national anthem were played. Then, His Majesty the Sultan, accompanied by the president, inspected a Guard of Honour.

After that, His Majesty the Sultan shook hands with senior Belarusian officials, while President Lukashenko greeted members of the official delegation accompanying His Majesty the Sultan.

Upon his arrival earlier at Minsk International Airport, His Majesty the Sultan was received by Viktor Karankevich, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Maxim Ryzhenkov, Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other senior government officials.

Official talks

Later in the evening, His Majesty the Sultan and President Lukashenko held an expanded session of official talks in the presence of official delegations from both sides.

The talks dealt with opportunities for enhancing economic and investment cooperation and exchanging views on ways to serve the joint interests of the peoples of the two countries.

BelTA  – the official news agency of Belarus  – reported that during the meeting with President Lukashenko, His Majesty the Sultan said Oman and Belarus have made significant progress, but there is untapped potential for further development in bilateral relations. 

His Majesty the Sultan thanked the Belarusian leader for the warm welcome and emphasised that he was happy to be in Minsk. “Since your visit to Oman last year, we have made significant progress. At the same time, there is still untapped potential. With your support and through cooperation between our governments, we will be able to realise it,” His Majesty said.

On his part, the president said Belarus is determined to build the best possible relations with Oman. He stated that for Belarus, Oman is the closest partner in the entire region. “Therefore, we are keen on developing relations with you in all areas. I want to assure you that if we agree on any matter, we will deliver.” 

The session was attended from the Belarusian side by Viktor Lukashenko, son of the president and President of Belarusian Olympic Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Karankevich, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ryzhenkov, Minister of Health Alexander Khodjaev, Minister of Agriculture and Food Yuri Gorlov, Minister of Industry Andrei Kuznetsov and Minister of State for Military Industries Dimitri Pantos.