Turkey, Belarus seek to boost bilateral ties: Cavusoglu

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey and Belarus are working together to further enhance the bilateral relations, the visiting Turkish top diplomat said on Wednesday.

"We have been working together to further develop our relations in line with the goals that our presidents have set after mutual visits and negotiations," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference alongside his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei in the capital Minsk.

Cavusoglu said Turkey and Belarus formed a joint working group on trade.

The official met with representatives of the Turkish business community late Tuesday, he said, adding: "We will work together to get more Turkish investment [in Belarus]".

Cavusoglu also said the two countries want to cooperate on the areas of defense, culture and education.

Makei, for his part, said, Turkey is a "very important" partner for Belarus.

He added the top diplomats discussed the cooperation, economy and international security.

Ahead of bilateral meeting with Makei, Cavusoglu was received by Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko.

"We have excellent relations with friendly Belarus. We will carry our relations further with this visit," Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

Later on Wednesday, Cavusoglu will head to Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, where he will separately meet with PrimeMinister Juri Ratas and Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu.