The visiting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his accompanying delegation met the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on Monday, November 6.
Speaking at the meeting, which was also attended by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Leader stated that the merging of will and resolution on the part of independent countries will increase the power of these countries and serve and promote their interests.
Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that the Islamic Republic of Iran and Belarus are capable of expanding their relations in many spheres of activity, and he stressed the need for the expansion of bilateral ties between the two countries.
The Leader of the Islamic Republic added that the Iranian government is quite prepared to further expand its cooperation with Belarus, especially in the economic and commercial sector.
Further in his statements, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the fact that the resistance of independent countries against the pressures exerted by global powers necessitates their close relations and more extensive cooperation.
"The reason why many apparently independent countries are not able to resist the pressures of hegemonic powers is because there is no merging of will and resolution on the part of their government officials, and also because they do not rely on the support of their nations," Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
Touching on U.S. encroachments on various parts of the world, especially the Middle East region, the Leader of the Islamic Republic stated that the weakness of regional countries is the main reason for this encroachment.
"However, U.S. forces have presently become bogged down in the Middle East region, including in Iraq, Lebanon and occupied Palestine," the Leader pointed out.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not hostile to any other country, but that it would not compromise on its interests and future either.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, for his part, expressed pleasure over his meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Republic and voiced happiness about the very good relations that exist between the two countries. He also referred to the Islamic Republic of Iran as a powerful country with a strong will and firm and decisive stances.
The Belarusian president said that in the course of the negotiations between his delegation and the Iranian officials, both sides were determined to expand bilateral relations between the two countries, since the expansion of bilateral ties would serve the interests of both countries.
President Lukashenko further expressed his agreement with the Leader's remarks to the effect that independent countries should expand their relations and cooperation.
"We also believe that independent countries should try to increase their power and boost their will and resolution by expanding their ties with one another and by relying on the support of their nations in order to be able to resist the enemies," the Belarusian president pointed out.