Damascus, Aug. 2 (SANA) Syria’s Agriculture Minister Basil al-Suwaidan met on Sunday with Belarusian Ambassador to Syria Yuri Sluka to discuss enhancing agricultural cooperation and setting up frameworks to support the sector and serve farmers.
Al-Suwaidan stressed the importance of opening communication channels to benefit from Belarusian expertise and experience, particularly in agricultural machinery and equipment, expressing Syria’s interest in having Belarusian companies enter the Syrian market to supply agricultural equipment through soft loans with state guarantees.
The minister also emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation in food industries, particularly powdered milk production, as well as encouraging investors and exchanging agricultural products between the two countries to achieve mutual interests.
He noted that reviving Syria’s agricultural sector, which suffered significant damage, requires providing resources and effective partnerships with friendly countries, highlighting Belarus‘s advanced expertise and industries in agricultural machinery.
Belarusian agricultural potential
Ambassador Sluka stressed the importance of strengthening agricultural cooperation between the two countries, noting that Belarus possesses significant capabilities in producing various agricultural products, particularly meat, dairy products, cheeses and powdered milk.
The Belarusian envoy underscored the need for continued coordination between both sides and a review of joint agreements to ensure the development of agricultural cooperation and the implementation of projects serving the interests of both countries.
Belarus has been a key partner in supporting Syria’s agricultural recovery, with the two countries signing an economic, scientific and technological bilateral agreement on agricultural industries in 2003.
The first deal to supply Belarusian milk powder to Syria through the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange was concluded in May 2025, with the volume of purchase amounting to 100 tons.
In January 2025, Syria received Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov to discuss cooperation in agriculture, transport and reconstruction.
Earlier Sunday, Minister al-Suwaidan met with Egyptian Chargé d’Affaires Mohamed el-Fiqi to discuss agricultural cooperation, highlighting Syria’s significant agricultural potential, ongoing mine clearance efforts to return lands to production, and challenges including the need to modernize technologies and update investment laws.
Kh.A / Mzn
