Belarus and India are initiating a dialogue on visa facilitation, marking an important step in their bilateral relations.
This crucial development emerged during the talks between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Sergei Aleinik and the Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi, VisaGuide.World reports.
The ministers focused on various aspects of their relations between the discussions, including interregional and parliamentary ties. They also praised the existing legal framework and humanitarian cooperation, focusing on increasing educational exchanges, such as training Indian students in Belarus.
An agreement was reached to discuss further visa facilitation to increase mutual tourist flows. Sergei Aleinik expressed gratitude to his counterpart for his consistent support for Belarus’ accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and his principled positive position on our country’s accession to BRICS.
The diplomats speak about how the EAEU and India can work together, along with other international groups. At the same time, they discussed how the EAEU and India can work together, along with other international groups.
The Belarusian team also met India’s Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya, in Delhi. They mostly talked about ensuring enough food, selling Belarusian engineering products, and working together on medicine and chemicals.
Naturally, we paid special attention to the economic dimension of our bilateral relations.
Sergei Aleinik pointed out that India is growing fast and is already the fifth biggest economy globally. Last year, its GDP went up by seven percent. According to him, India could surpass Germany and become the fourth-largest economy by 2028.
So far, the ministers have signed 28 agreements between Belarus and India. They also mentioned they’re currently working on six to seven new agreements.
Belavia Plans for Increased Flights Starting April
Sergei highlighted that introducing Belarusian Airlines Belavia’s direct flight last year has set the stage for enhanced cooperation. Starting from April, Belavia intends to boost the number of flights.
Moreover, Belarus offers visa-free entry to Indian nationals, allowing them to stay up to 30 days. However, they can only exit Belarus through Minsk National Airport.
For Indian nationals to enter the Republic of Belarus visa-free through Minsk National Airport, they need to meet specific requirements:
- A valid ordinary passport for international travel.
- Financial means: They must have at least €25 (or equivalent in dollars or Belarusian rubles) each day of their stay.
- Medical insurance: They need coverage for at least €10,000, which applies to Belarus. This insurance can be provided by Indian companies or purchased upon arrival at Minsk National Airport.