Iran, Belarus emphasize defense collaboration against U.S. unilateralism

TEHRAN, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) — Iran and Belarus on Wednesday emphasized the importance of collaborating to counter U.S. unilateralism, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.
In a meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran, Chief Commander of the Iranian Army Abdolrahim Mousavi and visiting Commander of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense Andrey Lukyanovich voiced their willingness to expand bilateral cooperation, especially in the defense sector, the report said.
Mousavi said Iran and Belarus were faced with common threats and shared mutual interests, adding although both countries were under the U.S. and Western “cruel” sanctions, they were independent.
He noted that Belarus had a special strategic location and was a strong barrier to the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stressing its opposition to its expansion.
The Belarusian commander, for his part, said Belarus sought to expand and deepen military relations with Iran and use the country’s “valuable” experiences, expressing his country’s opposition to the U.S. unilateralism and NATO’s expansion.
Also on Wednesday, Lukyanovich met with Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Force Hamid Vahedi and discussed bilateral military relations. ■