Georgian President Congratulates Lukashenko on His Victory in Belarus Elections

Georgian President Mikhail Kavelashvili congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on his victory in the presidential elections in Belarus and wished him success in his activities, according to a statement on the website of the head of the Belarusian state.

Lukashenko won the presidential elections for the seventh time. According to the Central Election Commission of Belarus, Lukashenko received a record 86.82% of the votes. The turnout at the presidential elections held on January 26 was 85%.

"I would like to congratulate you on your election as President of the Republic of Belarus and wish you success in your activities," Kavelashvili's congratulatory message to Lukashenko reads.

The head of the Georgian state also expressed gratitude to his Belarusian counterpart for the sincere congratulations and good wishes he had received earlier in connection with his election as President of Georgia.

"We value the long-standing relations between Georgia and the Republic of Belarus. Mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the most important foundation of our cooperation and relations between our peoples," Kavelashvili emphasized.

The President of Georgia also expressed hope that Georgian-Belarusian relations will develop for the benefit of the two countries and peoples.

Georgia and Belarus established diplomatic relations in 1994. Relations between the two countries began to develop rapidly after 2015, when Lukashenko first paid an official visit to Tbilisi.

There is a visa-free regime between the countries, and Tbilisi and Minsk are connected by direct flights. The Georgian Embassy has been operating in Minsk since 2008. In December 2016, the Belarusian Embassy in Tbilisi opened. Mikhail Myatlikov became the first ambassador.

Reprinted from https://sputnik-georgia.ru/