Belarus Expects Indonesia To Establish Embassy In Minsk

Minsk, Belarus, Sept 24 (Antara) -- Indonesia is expected to establish an embassy in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, in order to improve relations between the two countries, a Belarus official said here recently. "Therefore, we hope all parties, including the media, academics and students, support this expectation," Director of the Department for Asia, Australia and Oceania of the Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Grinkevich stated. There are many Belarusian students who are interested in Indonesia, Grinkevich noted, adding that it was indicated by the study majors they offer that include Indonesian language and literature. He explained that the Belarusian government kept improving its relationship with its Indonesian counterpart, among others, through official visits between both the countries. The Belarusian government also supports Track II diplomacy by encouraging its students to study in the world's biggest archipelago country and learn its language. Moreover, Grinkevich promised to place outstanding Belarusian students in Indonesia, especially at the Belarusian Embassy in Jakarta. Earlier, the Belarusian Ambassador to Indonesia, Vladimir Lopate-Zagorsky, had also mentioned that he expected Indonesia to establish an embassy in Minsk as bilateral relations between the two countries had been improving over the last few years. "We hope Indonesia establishes an embassy in Minsk to promote bilateral relations with Belarus," Lopate-Zagorsky remarked. "In the economic sector, Belarus and Indonesia can complement each other as we have products that Indonesians need and Indonesia has products that we need." The Belarusian Embassy in Jakarta recorded that cooperation in the fields of economy and trade between the two countries had yielded US$1.8 million in 1995, which increased to US$219.2 million in 2011. Lopate-Zagorsky explained that the establishment of an Indonesian Embassy in Minsk would facilitate the business sectors and further promote better relations between Belarusians and Indonesians. Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Belarus were established in June 18, 1993. On August 22, 2011, Belarus established its embassy in Jakarta.