Political Relations
The Republic of Turkey was the first foreign state to recognize the state independence of the Republic of Belarus.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on March 25, 1992.
In 2017 Belarus and Turkey marked the 25th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations.
The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey to the Republic of Belarus was established in Minsk in 1992 whereas the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Turkey was established in Ankara in 1997.
In 1996 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko paid his first official visit to Turkey, which led to the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Turkey.
A further meeting between the Presidents of Belarus and Turkey took place during the Summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held in Istanbul in 1999.
In 2010 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko paid his second official visit to Turkey. As a result of the agreements reached the General Consulate of the Republic of Belarus was opened in Istanbul in 2011.
In April 2016 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko met with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the Islamic Summit Conference in Istanbul.
In November 2016 President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid his historic first-ever official visit to Belarus.
In may 2017, the heads of Belarus and Turkey met in the framework of the ”one belt, one road“ forum in Beijing (China).
In February 2019, the heads of states met in Sochi (Russia) as part of the talks between the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran on a settlement in Syria.
In April 2019, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko paid a return official visit to Turkey.
Prime Ministers of Belarus visited Turkey in 2014 and 2015.
In February 2018, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey B.Yildırım paid an official visit to the Republic of Belarus.
Bilateral friendship groups operate in the parliaments of the two countries.
In August 2017, M.Myasnikovich, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, visited the Republic of Turkey.
In July 2018, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus M.Myasnikovich took part in the inauguration ceremony of the President of the Republic of Turkey, R.T. Erdoğan in Ankara.
In October 2018, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus V.Andreichenko took part in the Third meeting of speakers of parliaments of the Eurasian countries in Antalya.
The return visit of the Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey B.Yildirim and the parliamentary friendship group to the Republic of Belarus took place in November 2018.
The two countries’ governmental inter-agency cooperation is actively developing.
Regular meetings of the Intergovernmental Joint Economic Commission, the Business Council, bilateral commissions on cooperation in the defense industry, for tourism, for international automobile transportation, through the Ministry of Internal Affairs are being held.
The cooperation between Foreign Ministries of Belarus and Turkey is actively developed.
In March 2013 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu paid a working visit to Belarus. During the visit Agreement on the Mutual Abolition of Visas and Readmission Agreement were signed between the two countries.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Vladimir Makei returned the visit in October 2013. As part of the visit, the session of the Belarusian-Turkish Joint Intergovernmental Economic Commission was held.
In June 2014 Belarus and Turkey abolished visas for short trips.
In April 2017, First Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Turkey A.Yildiz paid an official visit to the Republic of Belarus.
In December 2018, a working meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Belarus and Turkey was held within the framework of the 25th session of the OSCE Foreign Ministry in Milan (Italy).
In April 2019, in preparation for the visit of the President of the Republic of Belarus to Turkey, a working meeting was held between of the Foreign Ministers of Belarus and Turkey.
In August 2019, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Turkey M.Cavuşoğlu paid an official visit to the Republic of Belarus.
Inter-Ministerial Political Consultations between Belarus and Turkey are held annually at the level of Deputy Foreign Minister. The most recent round of bilateral consultations took place in Minsk in February 2019.
Belarus and Turkey actively cooperate in the framework of international platforms, including the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, World Trade Organization.
The institution of honorary consuls is actively used in the Belarusian-Turkish cooperation. Currently, there are five honorary consuls of Belarus working in major cities of Turkey: Adana, Alanya, Antalya, Bursa, Izmir.