Iran VP: Sanctions provide nations with opportunity to rely on capabilities of their own scientists

Iran’s first vice president says unilateral sanctions imposed by Western states on freedom-seeking nations have provided those nations with a good opportunity to rely on capabilities of their own scientists.

Mohammad Mokhber made the remark in a meeting with the visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been able to break considerable grounds in the fields of science and technology by overcoming these sanctions,” he added.

Mokhber noted that Iran’s experience in dealing with sanctions can be used by the two countries to further expand their cooperation.

Referring to the emphasis put by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi on the need to implement Iran-Belarus agreements as soon as possible, the Iranian first vice president said, “The North-South Transportation Corridor offers potentialities for cooperation between the two countries.”

He added that the two countries must cooperate in providing necessary rail, sea and air transport facilities to further develop cargo and passenger transportation along this important corridor, “because this issue can help the two countries’ private sectors become more active.”

He noted that the signing of a roadmap and seven documents for Tehran-Minsk cooperation in various sectors would provide a base for a new level of mutual relations.

"The joint will and strategy of the presidents of Iran and Belarus have created a suitable opportunity for expansion of all-out relations, which we should use well," Mokhber said.

Earlier in the day, Raeisi and Lukashenko signed a roadmap and seven documents to bolster cooperation in sectors such as trade, transportation, agriculture and culture.

In the meeting with Mokhber, the Belarusian president hailed great advancement made by Iran's knowledge-based companies and said bilateral cooperation between Tehran and Minsk can prepare the ground for the export of the Iranian-made products.

Lukashenko stressed the importance of accelerating the implementation of the very good agreements signed with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran.

He expressed hope that Iran and Belarus would further improve relations given firm determination of both countries' senior officials.

Lukashenko arrived in Tehran on Sunday at the invitation of President Raeisi. He held separate meetings with his Iranian counterpart, Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Ayatollah Khamenei: Countries sanctioned by US, Western states must join hands to shatter those bans

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says countries sanctioned by the United States and its Western allies must join hands to destroy those sanctions.

Ayatollah Khamenei told the Belarusian president that those countries that have been put under unilateral sanctions by the United States and its Western allies must join hands to destroy those sanctions.

Belarus is a member of the EAEU, a Russia-led economic union that plans to enter into a free trade arrangement with Iran.

Iran has been in a preferential trade agreement with the EAEU since 2019. The two sides have held five rounds of free trade negotiations in recent months.

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