Iran, Belarus to expand parl. coop.

MINSK, Dec. 03 (MNA) – Iranian amb. to Minsk and a Belarusian parliamentary official met in the Belarusian capital on Saturday to confer on the expansion of parliamentary ties between the two countries. Iranian Ambassador to Minsk, Mohammadreza Sabouri held talks with the Chairman of Committee on international affairs and national security of Belarus Council, Sergey Rakhmanov, at the Council of Belarus on Saturday. During the meeting, Rakhmanov stressed that Tehran-Minsk ties are expanding in all areas, particularly in regard to parliamentary cooperation; “development of parliamentary cooperation can deepen social and cultural relations among the people of both countries, and pave the ground for improving the level of cooperation in other areas,” he said. The Iranian envoy, for his part, maintained that the two countries’ parliaments have a highly effective role on domestic affairs, as well as a decisive role in expanding foreign cooperation. “Iran’s and Belarus’ parliaments need to hold further consultations in order to improve the level of cooperation in political and economic fields,” he said. The two sides also conferred on bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as some regional and international issues. Iran and Belarus signed a roadmap on May 4 in the Belarusian capital, under which the two sides agreed to invest $250 million by the end of 2017, with $75 million already placed by the two sides. The two countries’ other areas for cooperation will be increased within this framework.