Belarus’ top diplomat to visit Mongolia this week

March 14, Pozirk. Belarusian Foreign Minister Siarhiej Alejnik will visit Mongolia on March 15 and 16 following his trip to India earlier this week, the foreign ministry’s press office reports.

Minsk has stepped up its effort to boost ties with African and Asian countries to mitigate international sanctions imposed over allegations of human rights abuse and Belarus’ complicity in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Belarusian delegation will hold talks with the Mongolian leadership, Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg as well as heads of other ministries and government agencies.

The visit will also feature a tour of Mongolia’s industrial facilities and meetings with businessmen.

As part of the major shift from the West to the East and South, Alejnik also visited Kenya in April 2023 to sign a memorandum establishing a regular political consultation mechanism.

Earlier this month, the Belarusian government approved a draft memorandum to set up a joint intergovernmental commission with Kenya.

Meanwhile, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Jaŭhien Šastakoŭ visited Bangladesh this week as Minsk looks for an opportunity to tap into this potentially big market with a population of 169.4 million.

Alaksandar Łukašenka visited Uzbekistan in February, Equatorial Guinea and Kenya in December and Zimbabwe in January 2023.