Belarus willing to boost military cooperation with Venezuela to confront West - Lukashenko

MINSK. July 5 (Interfax) - Belarus is ready to enhance military and other kinds of cooperation with Venezuela to effectively confront Western policy, President Alexander Lukashenko said. On Tuesday, he congratulated Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on his national holiday, Independence Day.

"Thanks to the decisions taken to 'reset' bilateral relations, interstate contacts between Minsk and Caracas have intensified significantly. Uniting efforts will make it possible to effectively resist the West's destructive policy and ensure our countries' sustainable development in the current complicated conditions," Lukashenko is quoted by the presidential press service as saying in his congratulatory message.

Lukashenko believes that this step is very timely, given the global challenges recently faced by both countries.

The president noted that Belarus is willing to continue fostering friendship with Venezuela by expanding political, trade, economic, scientific-technical, humanitarian, military and cultural cooperation.