Samarkand, 16 September (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has held a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Samarkand. As BelTA learned, the talks took place before the meeting of SCO heads of state.
“We must stick together not only to survive, but to take our place under the sun,” the Belarusian leader said.
He also outlined two areas of work for the foreign ministries of Belarus and Iran: intensifying cooperation and taking stock of relations.
In 2021, trade between Belarus and Iran was $33.3 million (up 34.7% from 2020). Exports were $14 million (up 10.5%) and imports were $19.3 million (up 60.3%). From January to July 2022, trade increased to $40.1 million (up 119% year-on-year). Exports were $28.3 million (up 206.1%) and imports were $11.8 million (up 30.2%).
On September 15, the Belarusian leader held a series of bilateral meetings, including with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The foreign leaders expressed their support for the Belarusian bid to join the SCO as a full member.
The Belarusian President also met with SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming.
