OREANDA-NEWS. July 02, 2009. The implementation by Belarus and Venezuela of their joint projects will bring not only economic benefits to both countries, but will also help them expand their presence in the Latin American market, reported the Official website president.gov.by.

A statement to this effect was made by President Alexander Lukashenko in the course of his meeting with the Minister of Energy and Petroleum of Venezuela, Rafael Ramirez Carreno. The Venezuelan Minister’s visit to Minsk took place as part of the ongoing contacts between the two countries.

‘Please convey my gratitude to the President of Venezuela for promptness and consistency in his actions. The visit of the Venezuelan Vice President to us, which took place recently, and the fact that you have arrived here (within a short period of time after that visit) on the instructions of the Venezuelan leadership to address some bilateral issues – all this shows that Venezuela has a definite intention to deepen its relationship with Belarus,’ said Alexander Lukashenko in the course of his meeting with Rafael Ramirez Carreno.

The Belarusian President has expressed his absolute confidence that ‘the plans that Belarus and Venezuela have outlined will be fulfilled’.

‘It is not even a matter of Belarus-Venezuela relations. It is a matter of our joint advancement with Venezuela in Latin America. I would like to underscore the fact that it is with your country, because it would be very hard for us to work there alone. By doing so we can demonstrate our possibilities, show other Latin American countries that it is possible to cooperate with medium-sized and small countries and have the same effect as from cooperation with such giants as the United States and others,’ said the President of Belarus.

Alexander Lukashenko highlighted the importance of this interaction for Belarus and Venezuela. ‘It will produce a good financial and economic effect for us,’ he added.

Rafael Ramirez Carreno conveyed to Alexander Lukashenko the warm regards from President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. ‘We have arrived in Belarus on a business visit. The visit of Vice President Ramon Carrizales to Minsk has revealed a whole range of promising cooperation areas that we should explore further. Therefore, the President of Venezuela has instructed me to go to Belarus in order to discuss the questions we have. We are satisfied because the results are encouraging. As always, the present meetings have allowed us to deepen cooperation,’ said Rafael Ramirez Carreno.

The meeting discussed specific possibilities for expanding cooperation in the manufacturing industry, economy, science and technology, and energy. Belarus plans to expand its presence in Venezuela’s energy sector. The two countries plan to increase the amount of oil they produce jointly in Venezuela, launch a number of new energy projects; Belarusian specialists will intensify their prospecting work in Venezuela.