The Islamic Republic of Iran was one of the first actors to recognize the independence of Belarus and established diplomatic relations with the country on February 16, 1993. Subsequently, the Iranian ambassador to Ukraine was appointed as the accredited ambassador of Iran to Belarus.
In 1995, former Belarusian prime minister Mikhail Chigir visited Tehran, and in response, a few months later, the former Iranian first vice president Hassan Habibi visited Minsk. During the visit, Tehran and Minsk signed agreements in the fields of investment, trade, culture, transport, and military cooperation. The first joint economic commission between the two countries was held in the same year.
In 1998, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko paid his first visit to Tehran and in the meantime, the embassy of Belarus was opened in Iran. Three years later, Iran’s embassy in Belarus was opened during the visit of Kamal Kharrazi, the Iranian foreign minister of that time. Iran’s then-president Mohammad Khatami also visited Belarus in 2004. Interactions and exchanges of high-ranking political delegations between the two countries continued at other high-level levels in the following years as well.
Ebrahim Raeisi’s balanced approach to foreign relations has given different countries of the world an equal chance to communicate and expand relations with Iran, and this constructive approach led to the visit of Lukashenko to Iran after 17 years.
In March 2023, Lukashenko travelled to Iran at the official invitation of Iranian President Raeisi. During the visit, the two countries inked a comprehensive cooperation roadmap and eight cooperation documents in various fields. Experts believe that the visit is a sign of the deepening of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Tehran and Minsk in the form of regional agreements such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Speaking in a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart in Tehran, Raeisi dubbed Lukashenko’s visit as a turning point in the bilateral relations between the two countries. Lukashenko also met and held talks with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei during this trip. In the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the need for the sanctioned countries to join hands to take the means of sanctions out of the hands of the sanctioning Western states.
Throughout these years, the two countries continued to expand their bilateral relations in different fields including science and technology, education, and culture. The parliamentary, political, and economic relations between Tehran and Minsk also expanded with the determination of the two countries’ authorities.
As the 30th anniversary of the friendly relations between Iran and Belarus approaches, the prospect of Tehran-Minsk relations seems brighter than ever. Despite the various developments across the globe during the past three decades and their impact on the regional and international equations, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Belarus, by adopting an independent policy, have shown their determination to develop cooperation for the benefit of their nations.
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