Neither Iran nor Belarus stands alone
By Aliaksandr Filipau
Middle East affairs expert
The official visit of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian to the Republic of Belarus and his meeting with the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is an important political event for both nations.
Belarus and Iran have a long history of close cooperation in various areas. The Belarusian government supports the right of Iran to independent development and condemns sanctions introduced against this country. The Iranian government follows the same policy towards Belarus. Thus, these close positions make mutual cooperation natural and beneficial in almost all areas — trade, technology exchange, investments, establishing joint ventures, cultural and academic cooperation, supporting each other on the international arena, etc.
During the visit, the Belarusian and Iranian leaders emphasized the idea that our countries have no off-limits topics for discussions and are ready to strengthen mutual cooperation in all possible aspects. The strategic character of the partnership between Iran and Belarus is unquestionable.
Thus, the current visit has not only bilateral significance but also a very strong international dimension. Both Iran and Belarus maintain close cooperation with Russia and China, promote the idea of independent development of any country, condemn foreign intervention into one’s domestic politics, and support the concept of multi-vector foreign policy.
All these messages are particularly important in the context of the latest active negotiations between the USA and Russia, the recent telephone call from US President Donald Trump to President Lukashenko, and Iran’s perseverance against foreign aggression.
Both countries demonstrate to the USA and Europe that neither they nor Russia is in any isolation, that they will continue to pursue the benefits of their nations, which should be taken into consideration in Europe and the USA, and that they are full-pledged participants of all international processes. Neither Iran nor Belarus stands alone. They have the same rights for development and independent politics as well as any other nation on the planet.