Belarusian FM Readying for Iranian President’s Visit :: Charter'97 :: News

The Minister of culture and Islamic orientation of Iran Ahmad Al-Jamei is currently on an official visit in Minsk. On June 13 the Belarusian Foreign Minister Mikhail Khvostov met with the high Iranian guest. The meeting also attracted the Minister of culture of Belarus Leonid Gulyako. Both Belarusians and Iranians pointed out a significant influence on the cooperation between the two countries of Alexander Lukashenko’s official visit to Iran in 1998. The Belarusian side noted that the visit is an important preparatory step before the coming to Belarus of the Iranian president Mohammad Khattami.

The Foreign Ministry reports that the sides exchanged opinions on the condition of bilateral relations between Belarus and Iran, emphasizing the importance of the agreements on cultural cooperation, reached during the talks.

The sides also shared their vision on the extension of trade-economic relations, implementation of an exhibition of Iranian goods in Minsk, which is expected to open in the forth quarter of 2002 during the next session of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation related issues. They likewise stressed the necessity to open the air corridor between Minsk and Teheran.

In course of the meeting the officials confirmed mutual interest in holding in June in Teheran of a business forum “Economic potential of the Republic of Belarus” for the Iranian business circles.