MINSK, July 28. /TASS/. Belarus and Syria will hold a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic and technical cooperation in August to boost cooperation between the two countries, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Sunday.

"Belarus and Syria are small countries but, working together we can do much to boost prosperity of our nations. We agreed with the Belarusian officials to hold a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic and technical cooperation in August," he said in an interview with the Belarus 1 television channel. "It is an important step that will help realize our potential and strengthen friendship between our countries."

The situation in Syria, according to Muallem, is now much better than last year or several years ago, with the authorities controlling more than 80% of the country’s territory. "There are some nests of terrorism - in the northwest and northeast of the country, but we are determined to liberate the country from them. We also insist and will spare no effort to ensure than all the foreign forces staying in Syria illegally leave the country’s territory," the Syrian top diplomat said. "The fight against terrorist will be continued. Efforts within the political process will be taken as well. And, naturally, the authorities will implement a revival program, especially in those region where infrastructure was damaged most seriously."

He stressed that terrorism is "a global epidemic" that can spread into other countries. "To exterminate this evil, international commitments and their implementation are needed," he said. "It is necessary to stop financing terrorists and their weapons. It is necessary to fight against proliferation of terrorist ideologies. And the international community must support Syria’s efforts."

The Syrian foreign minister paid an official visit to Belarus on July 20-24.