Sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic has become one of the biggest
challenges of 2020. I believe that in times like this solidarity and global cooperation are crucial to the efficient joint response in fighting the disease and overcoming its impact on global economy.

The Republic of Korea has been one of the first countries hit by COVID-19 and it has demonstrated that swift coordinated actions of health authorities are the key to containing the spread of the disease. The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation in the Republic of Korea and informs the relevant Belarusian authorities about the best practices and policies aimed at preventing further spread of the disease. The situation in the Republic of Korea is widely covered in the mass media as one of the positive examples of combating the spread of the infection. I would also like to pay tribute to the discipline and high level of selforganization of the Korean people.

Belarus has also implemented a number of proactive measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in the country, such as health checkups for the inbound travelers, establishing hotlines for consultations, establishing special routes for vehicles in transit, disinfection of public spaces and transportation, etc. A considerable number of Belarusian enterprises have been repurposed to produce protective equipment for healthcare workers. The actions taken by the Government of the Republic of Belarus have received good assessment of the WHO mission that visited our country on 8-11 April.

The Republic of Belarus has not imposed any entry restrictions towards foreign travelers and nowadays open borders and regular flights of the Belarusian airlines are the only opportunities for people from various European countries to get home. While placing people’s safety and security as the top priority it is important not to create unexpected and unnecessary hurdles for international economy and global development.

The global pandemic has made adjustments in our bilateral plans of contacts and events but I am confident that have to continue looking for new opportunities to expand cooperation between Belarus and Korea. We plan to enhance the relations in many innovative areas, such as digital economy, environmental-friendly technologies, pharmaceuticals, and high-tech cooperation.

I hope that when the situation stabilizes we will proceed with the planned events, both political and economic, and now we have to make further efforts to ensure the successful and mutually beneficial outcome of our plans.