Minsk aims to work with traditional and new strategic partners, especially in Eurasia, the new head of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Aleinik, said on Wednesday, Ednews reports citing TASS.

"We have always put and will always put the realization of our economic interests first, we will continue working with our strategic traditional and new partners and cooperation at integration sites with the focus on Eurasia," he said during an introduction to employees of the diplomatic department.

Aleinik stressed that "the priorities of the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus remain unchanged". "The main goal, clearly defined by the head of the state, is the preservation and strengthening of our sovereignty, independence in economic policy and the well-being of our citizens," the top diplomat said.

"Economic diplomacy will be aimed at expanding exports, expanding support tools, geographic diversification and assistance to our exporters," Aleinik noted, pointing to the need to "continue working to reorient export flows that have fallen out of the Western direction."

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday signed a decree appointing Aleinik as Foreign Minister, thus giving him a post that became vacant after the death of Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei on November 26. Aleinik had been on diplomatic service since 1992, and since mid-February 2022 he had been First Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus.