MINSK, February 3. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko received the credentials of new Russian Ambassador Boris Gryzlov and diplomats from seven other countries on Thursday, the BelTA news agency said on Thursday.

According to BelTA, the envoys of Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Laos, Morocco, Nigeria, Russia, Chad and Sri Lanka presented their credentials to the Belarusian leader.

Lukashenko noted that nowadays, Minsk and Moscow are facing big and ambitious goals. The head of state expressed hope that the Russian envoy "as an experienced leader, will contribute to facilitating multifaceted Belarusian-Russian ties and boosting integration."

"We know you as a long-time friend and appreciate your great contribution to reinforcing and developing cooperation between our states," the Belarusian leader emphasized.

On January 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Gryzlov as the new Russian envoy to Belarus. Later, Gryzlov told TASS that he would focus on resuming multifaceted integration within the Union State.