MINSK, December 10 (Itar-Tass) — President Alexander Lukashenko said Belarus seeks to step up cooperation with Iran.
“I ask to tell the Iranian leadership that we hope for active cooperation,” Lukashenko said at the meeting with Iranian Ambassador Seyed Hosseini on Monday.
According to the Belarusian president, “despite huge problems in the world and despite unprecedented economic and financial pressure on Iran our trade turnover is decent enough.”
“The truth is that it decreases a little. Several projects have not been implemented. This happened due to the global crisis and due to pressure on Iran. Thus, we lost several projects,” the head of state stressed.
He noted that Belarus was ready to accept investments from Iranian businessmen. At the same time, Lukashenko said, “The mistakes, which were made in previous years, should be corrected.”
“As for political relations, we have no problems. Our positions on the world order coincide. We actively support the multi-polar approach and the non-interference into internal affairs,” Lukashenko said.
He emphasised that he had not met all ambassadors accredited in Belarus. “Usually I meet my friends and I don’t hide this that is why I separate my friends with sorrow and grief,” he said.
Hosseini said four years ago, when he had arrived in Belarus, Iran’s investments reached six million U.S. dollars. In December 2012 they increased up to 964 million U.S. dollars “as bank capital and investment projects”, the Iranian ambassador said.
Hosseini said he is convinced that after the implementation of all projects the investments might amount to about two billion U.S. dollars. In his words, over the years of the work in Belarus trade turnover between the two countries increased by more than three times and bilateral cooperation expanded.