Meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Belarus Saeed Yari

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Belarus Saeed Yari on 21 February.

Reviewing cooperation with Iran, the Belarusian head of state noted that the results could have been much bigger, but everything that has been done during the ambassador’s term in office will pave the way for closer bilateral relations in the future. “Of course, as I have said, we could have done more, but the situation in the world and around Iran and Belarus, fortunately, makes us get closer and look for those forms of cooperation that could benefit us the most,” the Belarusian leader said.

The President assessed the level of bilateral trade as normal, but noted that he would like to see it ‘more multifaceted’. “We need to advance from simple trade to cooperation. We need to create joint production facilities in Iran and Belarus,” Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced.

The Belarusian head of state also expressed interest in the International North–South Transport Corridor, which is a joint project of Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran. This project, in particular, was discussed at the meeting of the Presidents of Belarus and Russia. “We have a huge interest in this project,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

“You see that our states and their leaderships are facing many tasks. I very much hope that your further work, including in Tehran, will contribute to the expansion of our relations. I think that you will be personally interested in this,” the President said addressing the outgoing ambassador of Iran.

“You know that I plan to visit Iran at the invitation of the Iranian President in the near future, in mid-March. We will discuss key issues of our relations. I am absolutely convinced that this will be a pivotal meeting and that the negotiations in Iran will advance our cooperation to a higher level. But the main thing is to maintain this momentum and make the most of opportunities to upgrade our relations,” the Belarusian leader said.