Statements of Iranian Foreign Minister at a joint press conference with his Belarus counterpart
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-I would like to thank my dear friend, the honorable Foreign Minister of Belarus, Mr. Maxim Ryzhnkov, for inviting me and for the very warm hospitality extended to me and my accompanying delegation, and more importantly, for the very good and constructive discussions we had on Monday with him, as well as with Mr. Lukashenko, the honorable President of Belarus, with whom I had a very good, constructive, and fruitful meeting before my talks with the foreign minister.
-Iran-Belarus relations are on a very good path. Since the independence of Belarus until now, these relations have been very warm, friendly, and based on mutual interests and mutual respect, and we will continue on this path.
-The two countries share common positions on international and global issues. We cooperate in many matters within international forums, and we have common viewpoints on regional issues. We appreciate that our friends in Belarus condemned Israel and the US aggression against Iran and expressed solidarity and support for the Iranian people.
-The Islamic Republic of Iran has always prioritized developing relations with independent countries and those interested in mutually beneficial cooperation with Iran. Among these countries, Belarus holds a special place for us. Therefore, we intend to utilize all available capacities in both countries to advance the interests of our peoples. Last year, Mr. Lukashenko’s visit to Tehran and President Pezeshkian's visit to Belarus in August marked two important milestones in bilateral relations, which led to a leap in our economic and political cooperation.
-Last week, the Joint Economic Commission of the two countries was held in Tehran, and very important and constructive agreements were reached. Both sides have the will to continue this cooperation and to fully utilize the economic capacities of the two countries. We are also present together in the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS, and we are determined to leverage the capacities of these regional and international institutions for the benefit of our two countries.
-Our two countries face unjust, unilateral, and illegal sanctions imposed by Western countries. We cooperate in countering unilateral coercive measures within international organizations and in combating illegal sanctions. Both of our countries are members of the “Friends of the Charter” group, and at the last UN General Assembly, we attended a joint meeting of the member countries of this group, where Mr. Ryzhnkov and I expressed our determination to counter unilateral sanctions and coercive actions at the international level.
-We had very productive negotiations and agreed on a roadmap for cooperation between the two countries over the next year, outlining the steps needed to make the most of the existing capacities in our economic and bilateral relations.
-I am very pleased to have been able to make this trip today. I once again thank Mr. Ryzhnkov for his invitation and hospitality, and I thank Mr. Lukashenko for the excellent meeting we had, his assurances regarding the expansion of bilateral relations, and Belarus’s readiness for cooperation. Personally, I am very hopeful about the future of Iran-Belarus relations.