Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov meets Union Minister of External Affairs of India

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov meets Union Minister of External Affairs of India

On 12 September 2026, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Maxim Ryzhenkov, acting on instructions from the President of the Republic of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, arrived in India to attend the 18th BRICS Summit.

On the first day, on the sidelines of the summit, the head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry held talks with the Union Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, during which the interlocutors reviewed the full spectrum of Belarusian-Indian cooperation.

The parties reaffirmed the traditionally friendly character of Belarusian-Indian relations in the political sphere and commended their constructive engagement within multilateral platforms, including BRICS and the SCO.

Maxim Ryzhenkov extended his gratitude to his Indian counterpart for the high-level organisation of the summit and the warm hospitality.

In turn, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar highlighted the profound significance of the meeting between President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi held on 31 August 2026 on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Kyrgyzstan, and spoke highly of Belarus's efforts towards the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis and the normalisation of the situation in the Eastern European region.

A central element of the discussions was the schedule of forthcoming bilateral visits at the highest and high levels in the near term.

Furthermore, the sides addressed the expansion of Belarus's consular footprint across the regions of India with a view to strengthening interregional ties.

In the trade and economic domain, the interlocutors placed particular emphasis on drafting a bilateral cooperation roadmap for the period 2026-2030, as well as expediting the convening of the 12th session of the Belarusian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Trade, Industrial, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation.

Dedicated sectoral consultations involving business communities and regulatory bodies are envisaged as a key component of the Commission's session. The implementation of these objectives will ensure the thorough preparation of upcoming bilateral contacts at the highest level.

Maxim Ryzhenkov drew attention to the positive trajectory of bilateral trade turnover, which has surpassed 1 billion US dollars and continues to grow.

The parties paid close attention to the ongoing negotiations on a Free Trade Area agreement between the EAEU and India, reaching an understanding on Belarus's facilitation of the expeditious conclusion of this process.

In the humanitarian sphere, the head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry apprised his Indian counterpart of the decision taken by the Government of Belarus to issue electronic visas to Indian nationals, which will serve to intensify people-to-people and business contacts. This objective will likewise be advanced by expanding flight connectivity - both between Minsk and New Delhi and to other major Indian cities.

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