Ambassador: Belarus, Iran will intensify trade

Trade between Belarus and Iran will gain momentum, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Belarus Saeed Yari told the STV TV channel, BelTA has learned.

“Diplomatic relations between Iran and Belarus were established 29 years ago. From the very beginning they have relied on mutual respect and trust. The leaders of our countries have also established very good relations,” Saeed Yari said.

According to him, as Iran’s cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union gains momentum, trade between Iran and Belarus will increase. “I believe that our countries have a lot of untapped potential. Our presidents emphasized the importance of developing a cooperation roadmap; this is now being done by the ministries of foreign affairs of the two countries. Cooperation in energy, economy, science and technology holds a lot of promise. Another area that needs more attention is tourism and, in general, human contacts between Belarusians and Iranians. At a meeting of the joint consular commission on 1 December  2021, an agreement was reached to ease visa requirements for tourist groups. A direct flight between the two capitals is expected to give a serious boost to bilateral cooperation. We have invested a lot of effort in it, and I hope this direct flight will be launched in the near future,” the ambassador said.

The diplomat praised Belarus’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I see that people observe all the necessary protocols; the government has mounted a serious vaccination effort. In general, I would assess the Belarusian COVID-19 response strategy as successful,” said Saeed Yari.

Speaking about the sanctions against Belarus, he noted: “We condemn the use of sanctions and we believe that such a policy is doomed. Independence requires certain costs. Any country that wants to be independent is immediately subjected to sanctions. The same thing happened to Belarus - the independent policy of the Belarusian state was the reason why the Americans imposed the sanctions against your country. I am sure that the Belarusian people will go through this difficult period with dignity. The world is multipolar, it is not limited to the United States and Western countries. Now new centers of power in economy and defense are emerging. Belarus can expand relations with countries of Asia, the Middle East, Russia, China and thus cope with the sanctions.”