MINSK, August 20. /TASS/. Belarus views the unlawful Western sanctions imposed on it and Iran as acts of economic terrorism, President Alexander Lukashenko said after talks with visiting Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.

"We are seeking to build a multipolar world where every country chooses its own path of development, without any external interference. Belarus views the restrictions imposed on Minsk and Tehran by the collective West as economic terrorism. Our republics have successfully resisted this aggressive and hypocritical sanctions war," he stated.

For his part, Pezeshkian stated that cooperation between Tehran and Minsk could help neutralize the negative impact of Western sanctions. "Iran expresses the fullest readiness to cooperate with Belarus in neutralizing the illegal Western sanctions," the president of the Islamic Republic said, adding that hopefully relations between the two countries will be elevated to a new level.

Lukashenko added that Belarus is ready to expand broad cooperation with Iran, including in the defense sphere. "We are open to discuss any matters with no topics off limits. Our cooperation can cover everything from food exports to your country to military-technical collaboration," the Belarusian leader said.