Belarus ready to work with Iran in all areas ranging from food trade to military-technical cooperation - Lukashenko

MINSK. Aug 20 (Interfax) - Belarus stands ready to work with Iran on any issues, including military-technical cooperation, but it does not mean allying against any other parties, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Minsk on Wednesday.

"We are ready to discuss any issues, there are no matters that we cannot discuss. We are ready to cooperate with you in issues ranging from supplying the population of our country with food to military-technical cooperation," Lukashenko was quoted by his press service as saying.

"There are no secrets. We do not ally against anyone. We are doing it all for the benefit of our peoples, the Iranian and Belarusian peoples," he said.

Pezeshkian said for his part that the approaches pursued by Tehran and Minsk to current global issues are similar.

"I have to confirm the fact that we have common positions and views on general matters of global significance," he said.

Pezeshkian arrived in Belarus on an official visit on Tuesday. The visit was initially scheduled for the end of June, during which Pezeshkian was supposed to attend a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. However, the visit was moved to a later date due to the armed conflict with Israel, and the Iranian president addressed the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) summit by video link.

Lukashenko and Pezeshkian are expected to discuss trade, investment and industrial cooperation between Belarus and Iran, the implementation of joint initiatives in science, technologies and education, as well as bilateral contacts within international organizations, including the EAEU, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, and the UN. Ways to ensure regional and international security will be among the central topics on the meeting's agenda.