New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held talks with his visiting Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei, who arrived here during the day for his two-day visit to India.

The meeting covered discussion on a range of issues including bilateral economic ties, Ukraine conflict and multilateral cooperation.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs, Vladimir Makei will be attending a programme in Delhi on 10 November, 2022. He will be returning back to Belarus on 11 November, 2022.

“Met FM Vladimir Makei of Belarus who is in India for our Inter-Governmental Commission meeting. Our discussion covered bilateral economic ties, Ukraine conflict and multilateral cooperation,” Jaishankar tweeted.

Met FM Vladimir Makei of Belarus who is in India for our Inter-Governmental Commission meeting.

Our discussion covered bilateral economic ties, Ukraine conflict and multilateral cooperation. pic.twitter.com/fJjv2Q5XNQ

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 9, 2022

India’s relations with Belarus have been traditionally warm and cordial. India was one of the first countries to recognize Belarus as an independent country in 1991. Formal diplomatic relations were established and the Indian diplomatic mission in Minsk was opened in 1992 and Belarus opened its Mission in New Delhi in 1998, reports news agency ANI.

The cooperation between the two countries is visible at many multilateral fora such as UN Security Council (UNSC) and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Belarus was one of the countries whose support helped in consolidating India’s candidature for the non-permanent seat at the UNSC in July 2020.

The two countries enjoy a comprehensive partnership and have established mechanisms for exchanging views on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues through Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), and Joint Commission on Military Technical Cooperation, the report added.

Both countries have signed a number of Agreements/MoUs on various subjects, including trade and economic cooperation, culture, education, media and sports, tourism, science & technology, agriculture, textiles, Avoidance of Double Taxation, Promotion and Protection of Investments, and defence and technical cooperation.