Opinions & Interviews
Indian politician hails Minsk as ‘best capital in entire CIS’
An archive photo
MINSK, 12 November (BelTA) – Ram Madhav, an Indian politician and President of the India Foundation think tank, called Minsk the best capital in the entire CIS as he talked with journalists after visiting the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, BelTA has learned.
This is my first visit to Minsk, to Belarus. I am very impressed with the way the country is being governed. I have previously visited many CIS capitals. But what I have seen in the last two days in Minsk… This is the best capital in the entire CIS. Especially in the current situation, when you are experiencing such pressure from European states. This speaks volumes about the foresight of the country’s leadership, Ram Madhav said.
The politician noted that India and Belarus have been developing bilateral relations for many years. Belarusian agricultural products are exported to India. Many Indian students are studying medicine at Belarusian universities. We view Belarus as an important strategic bridge between Asia and Europe. But, unfortunately, due to the current policy and obstacles, the population of India is not sufficiently aware of Belarus and the Belarusian people, he said.
Ram Madhav pointed out that Belarus has always supported India on the international stage. In turn, India appreciates the difficult role that Belarus has chosen for itself as a peacemaker on the political arena. We are still on a path where certain countries are dominant. We must overcome this situation, he believes.
The head of the think tank added that India fully supports Belarus’ position on developing a course of multipolarity. We support this multilateral focus. We believe that every country, even those that are smaller in size, should have its own voice on the international stage, he said.
Following the meeting with the Indian delegation, Sergei Rachkov, Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, noted that India is a very important partner for Belarus. The relations have been developing for a long time, have a good history, and are gaining additional momentum thanks to Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“As you know, a regular meeting of the two leaders of Belarus and India was recently held on the sidelines of the SCO summit in China,” Sergei Rachkov said. “Therefore, our relations are developing at a steady pace and with positive outcomes. Suffice it to say that bilateral trade increased by 73% in January-September 2025, and the export of Belarusian goods increased by 2.7 times.”
The solid economic cooperation is based on the political relations between Belarus and India, the MP continued. “India supported Belarus’ accession to the SCO. We are now working together with India in BRICS as a partner country. We have very close interaction in general on international platforms. India supports Belarus, Belarus assists India on issues that concern and are of interest to the Indian side,” Sergei Rachkov added.
He also noted positive inter-parliamentary relations. There is an exchange of visits, high-level contacts between the speakers of the parliaments. Belarus is actively interacting with the Indian delegation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union. “There are very good prospects and opportunities. Most importantly, there is even greater potential that needs to be tapped both at the interstate and parliamentary levels. This topic was central to today’s meeting with the representatives of India,” he said.
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