Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko will visit China on February 28 for a state visit, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Iran PressEurope: Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has backed Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, with Belarus dependent on its neighbor both financially and politically.

“At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will pay a state visit to China from February 28 to March 2,” spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Last September, Xi, and Lukashenko announced an “all-weather” strategic partnership when they met in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

In a phone call on Friday, Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang told his Belarusian counterpart Sergei Aleinik that Beijing was willing to work with Minsk to deepen mutual political trust, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

China will also continue to support Belarus in maintaining its national stability, and will oppose attempts by “external forces” to interfere in its internal affairs or impose “illegal” unilateral sanctions on Minsk, Qin told Aleinik.

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