Iran, Belarus See Breakthrough in Relations Over Past 2 Years

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that the visit of his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, to Iran would contribute to the development of relations between the two countries, which had already experienced a breakthrough in the past two years.

On Sunday, Lukashenko started his two-day visit to Iran to discuss cooperation in various areas, including industry, agriculture, and transportation. On Monday, the presidents of the two countries held negotiations.

"Meanwhile, I would like to stress that, over the past two years, we have seen a breakthrough. Undoubtedly, your visit will give a great and serious impetus to the development of our bilateral relations," Raisi said, as quoted by Belarusian newspaper.

In turn, Lukashenko noted that Belarus and Iran realized how beneficial their relationship was for each other.

"The current contacts between Belarus and Iran, especially over the recent two years, are really the merit of yours. To be honest, maybe even because of me, because of Belarus, we have somewhat weakened attention to the Iranian state," Lukashenko said, as quoted by the newspaper.

In 2022, the mutual trade between Belarus and Iran exceeded $100 million, which was about three times higher than in 2021. At the same time, Belarusian exports to Iran increased almost six times, reaching $81.3 million.