Łukašenka lauds Nicaragua’s long-time ruler

May 19, BPN. Belarus should expand ties with Nicaragua as it did with Cuba, Venezuela and other Latin American countries, Alaksandr Łukašenka has told visiting Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada.

Belarus and Nicaragua “have a lot to do” to bring bilateral political and economic relations “to the highest level,” he noted.

Belarus has “everything that Nicaragua needs,” Łukašenka’s press office quoted him as saying. Both countries should establish a legal framework for future economic relations to boost their economic cooperation within a year, he stressed, noting that Belarus is ready for it.

Łukašenka also asked Moncada to pass on his “warmest greetings” to Nicaraguan ruler Daniel Ortega. “We are delighted with his political activity,” he said. In turn, Moncada conveyed a “brotherly greeting” and “best wishes” from Ortega.

Ortega has been the president of Nicaragua since 2007, setting up an authoritarian regime that persecutes journalists and the opposition.

Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Central America with 15 percent of the population living in poverty. Its trade with Belarus has been mostly falling since 2017. Two-way trade amounted to $1.2 million in 2021, mostly consisting of Belarusian exports.

Nicaragua has traditionally supported Belarus and Russia in the UN General Assembly level and is seeking to expand its relations with China.