Alexander Lukashenko paying two-day visit to Kazakhstan

8 июня 2017

By Olga Makei: The Belarusian President is paying a two-day working visit to Kazakhstan. Alexander Lukashenko is scheduled to take part in the opening ceremony of EXPO 2017 and a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. He has already held a bilateral meeting with President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and attended a gala concert dedicated to the SCO summit.

The global forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has already been called a historic event — this year, the SCO will be joined by India and Pakistan. Being a SCO observer, Belarus is actively involved in the activities of the association. The summit’s major events are planned for tomorrow.

The SCO summit in Astana marks the second time when Belarus participates as an observer. Tomorrow, the official Minsk will voice its vision of the Organization’s development.

While the summit is an excellent opportunity to discuss political and economic cooperation with partners, EXPO 2017 is an immediate demonstration of the countries’ capabilities. The Belarusian pavilion features 70 unique projects, including the latest energy efficiency technologies and the electric bus.

Belarus and Kazakhstan have 8 joint assembly plants. Besides, a project on assembling Belarusian municipal machinery has been launched in the Astana Free Economic Zone. In turn, Astana’s experience in erecting exhibition pavilions would be useful for Minsk. This issue was discussed at today’s personal meeting between the Presidents of the two countries. Alexander Lukashenko shared his plans on setting up a Belarusian exhibition in Minsk, and the EXPO experience would come in handy.

Prior to the upcoming SCO summit, the Astana Opera and Ballet Theatre hosted a concert dedicated to the event, giving its participants an opportunity to communicate in an informal setting and experience the culture of Kazakhstan.

The solemn opening ceremony of the EXPO exhibition is scheduled for tomorrow to feature a theatrical performance, laser show and fireworks.