Maksim Ryzhankou said Belarus is not closing the door to its western neighbors. The foreign minister made the statement at the ministry’s annual board meeting on Wednesday, noting that the country is simultaneously strengthening ties with more distant regions.
“At the same time, while strengthening ties on the broader external arc, we are not closing the door to our western neighbors. Minsk’s position remains unchanged: we are in favor of pragmatic dialogue, but only on equal terms, not in the language of ultimatums,” he was quoted as saying by the state news agency BelTA.
According to Ryzhankou, work with countries of the Global South has been moved into a “plane of concrete cooperation.”
“Belarus’s full participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and active interaction in the ‘BRICS plus’ format have created new windows of opportunity for our business,” the minister said.
Ryzhankou noted that ties with China remain strong and cooperation with India is expanding. He said demand for Belarusian technologies and experience continues to grow in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“Over the past year we have finally destroyed the myth that nobody is waiting for us there. On the contrary, contacts and cooperation with us are being sought there.
In 2025 Belarus increased exports to Africa to $670 million. Belarusian exports to Latin America grew almost one and a half times (144%), and we also grew by a third in the Asian direction (133%),” he said.
