BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

31/01/2007

Iran's President Ahmadinejad will visit Belarus

Archived Picture - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to visit Belarus to discuss energy cooperation, the former Soviet republic's Foreign Ministry said.

LONDON, January 31 (IranMania) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to visit Belarus to discuss energy cooperation, the former Soviet republic's Foreign Ministry said.

Recent moves by Russia to raise the price Belarus pays for its oil and gas have prompted Minsk to seek alternative sources of energy, RIA-Novosti reported.

Vladimir Semashko, the first deputy prime minister, said Minsk is considering joint oil production ventures with Iran.

During his visit to Tehran on January 21-22, Belarusian Defense Minister Leonid Maltsev signed with his Iranian counterpart, Mostafa Mohammad Najar, a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation.

The parties agreed on two-way visits by expert delegations, military and technical cooperation, interaction in staff training and consultations at the level of defense ministers. The ministers discussed international security, prospects for bilateral cooperation and experiences related to formation of national defense forces.

Source:

http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=49342&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs