Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has arrived in Kazakhstan for an official visit. His airplane landed at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, BelTA has learned. The Belarusian leader was greeted personally by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the ramp. Upon his arrival in Nur-Sultan the Belarusian head of state laid a wreath at the Fatherland Defenders' Monument. 

The monument was unveiled on 9 May 2001. Since that time Victory Day events have been held at the monument. The monument is a column, which is more than 37m high. The central figure of the monument is a smiling woman who embodies the Motherland. She calls for unity and accord. The bas-relief also depicts Soviet soldiers on one side of the column and Kazakh batyrs who crushed the Dzungars on the other side. The eternal flame burns at the bottom of the monument. The presidents will be able to discuss bilateral cooperation at an informal dinner on 24 October. 

On 25 October they will hold official talks. The two leaders are set to discuss interstate relations with the focus on the expansion of trade and economic cooperation. The presidents will talk over the prospects of expanding industrial and economic cooperation, including collaboration in agriculture, transport and logistics, the petrochemical sector, and information technology. A package of bilateral agreements is to be signed following the talks. Belarus' Ambassador to Kazakhstan Anatoly Nichkasov told reporters that the previous official visit of Aleksandr Lukashenko to Kazakhstan took place in October 2013. “Although our presidents often meet at various events of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States, such meetings are always a great event,” the diplomat underlined. 

He believes that the market of Kazakhstan holds a lot of promise and that Belarus should maintain its foothold there. “It is necessary to expand the export assortment, find new partners, explore the regions instead of focusing on the central part of the country. We are welcome here. The attitude to Belarusian products is a priori good. It is believed that Belarusian products are synonymous to good quality,” the ambassador said. Anatoly Nichkasov added that a Belarusian duty free store opened at the Horgos free economic zone on 23 October. Belarusian products are incredibly popular with Chinese. “They simply do not want to leave this store. The products fly off the shelves as soon as they arrive. The information about the outstanding quality of Belarusian products will spread just as fast. Therefore, we should take advantage of all opportunities,” he said.