BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

07/11/2006

Iran to Expand Cooperation With Belarus in All Spheres

MosNews

Iran is ready to expand its cooperation with Belarus in all spheres, the Iranian president said Monday, RIA Novosti news agency reports.

"Iran is interested in cooperation with Belarus and is ready to develop interaction in all spheres," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Iran on a three-day visit Sunday to discuss boosting trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Ahmadinejad said Belarus and Iran are powerful and independent countries having excellent relations. "Our countries decisively want to develop cooperation, and I am sure the visit by the Belarusian president will mark a new stage in bilateral relations," he said.

The Iranian leader said cooperation agreements in industry, education, science, technology and other spheres will be concluded soon.

Lukashenko, in turn, said his country and Iran could soon reach a trade turnover of $1 billion if a number of technical issues are resolved, in particular, in the banking and customs sectors. In 2005, trade between the countries was $38.4 million, up 5% from 2004.

"Our relations have been developing particularly dynamically recently - this is the third highest-level meeting for the recent time. All our contacts stress the interest in developing further cooperation," he said.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov said earlier the two countries will sign a number of agreements during Lukashenko's visit, including on legal assistance, cooperation between their emergency situations ministries, information services and television channels.

Iran has been at the center of an international dispute over the past year over its nuclear ambitions. Some countries suspect the Islamic republic is pursuing nuclear weapons, but Tehran has consistently denied the claims, saying it needs nuclear energy for civilian purposes.

Martynov said Belarus never doubted the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program.

"We have no reasons to doubt the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program," Martynov said, adding that Iran has always been a strong supporter of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

President Lukashenko said in early September that Iran is a significant source of support for his country outside of the former Soviet republics.

"We consider Iran as a serious point of support abroad, and we want to actively develop relations with it," Lukashenko said.

Lukashenko's domestic policies have also come under severe criticism from the West, with Washington dubbing him "Europe's last dictator," and both the U.S. and the EU banning him from entering their territories, RIA Novosti reports.

Source:

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/11/07/iranbelarus.shtml