Giving an assessment of the scope of cooperation with Tehran, Alexander Lukashenko, in particular, noted that the results could be much greater, but everything that has already been done during the period of activity of the ambassador in Belarus will be the basis, the foundation of future bilateral relations. Moreover, according to the president, “the situation that is developing in the world and around Iran and Belarus, fortunately, brings us closer and seeks the forms of cooperation that are demanded today”.Lukashenka described the level of trade between the two countries as normal, but at the same time, according to him, he would like to see it “more voluminous”. “We must move from simple trade to cooperation. We must create joint production facilities in Iran and Belarus,” the head of state is convinced.The president also expressed his interest in the joint project of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran for the construction of the railway and the North-South road. This project, in particular, was discussed at the meeting of the presidents of Belarus and Russia. “We are very interested in this,” he said, expressing hope that the ambassador’s further work, including in Tehran, will help deepen bilateral relations. “I think it will be of interest to you personally,” Lukashenka told the Iranian ambassador, whose diplomatic mission in Belarus has come to an end.During the meeting, the president also announced a visit to Iran in mid-March. Addressing his counterpart, he recalled that in the near future, in mid-March, he plans to visit Iran at the invitation of the Iranian President. “And there we will discuss the core issues of our relationship,” Lukashenko said. He said he was confident that this would be an important meeting and negotiations in Iran, which “will take us to a higher level of cooperation. But the main thing is that we do not lose this moment and this time in order to improve our relations to a higher level”, the Belarusian is a convinced leader.In turn, during a conversation with journalists, the Iranian ambassador stressed that the upcoming visit of the President of the Republic of Belarus is a historic moment in relations between the two countries. “There are very important issues on the agenda, both politically and in trade and economic terms. Relations between Iran and Belarus are now at the peak of their development. And we are sure that ‘After the visit of the President of Belarus, our relations will develop even more,’ the diplomat said.Said Yari stressed that the visit of the Belarusian head of state would take place on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries. In addition, 2023 will be declared the Year of Friendship between Iran and Belarus.By the way, in this regard, observers point out that trade and economic cooperation between the two countries has been actively developed in the past year. Mutual trade turnover exceeded $100 million, which is three times more than in 2021. At the same time, Belarusian exports to Iran increased almost sixfold.
