Ahmadinejad Invites Belarus President To Attend NAM Summit

Tehran, March 7, IRNA – Foreign Minister, Ali-Akbar Salehi, on Tuesday submitted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's message to Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko inviting him to attend international summit meeting in Tehran. The Islamic Republic of Iran will host summt meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran. Salehi told Lukashenko that Iranian president is willing to further expand Iran-Belarus ties. 'Iran can be a reliable friend and partner for Belarus as the two countries can have joint political and economic cooperation.' Lukashenko for his part welcomed the invitation, saying, 'We have always been supporting Iran's stance, opposing any act that would threaten Iranian independence and territorial integrity.' He said, 'We have a roadmap to adjust our ties with Iran and to implement the plan we should take fundamental measures. The first step in the course is the will of the two countries' leaders for expansion and deepening of ties. Fortunately, both sides are highly determined to.' 'We hope a new chapter will be open in bilateral relations in line with the two countries' projects,' Lukashenko said. Touching on recent 9th Majlis elections, Lukashenko said Iranian people have always voiced their support for policies of Iranian leaders. Consultations on key regional and important developments, especially situation in Syria, were the topics of talks between Salehi and Lukashenko. They condemned any foreign intervention in Syria, supporting reforms by government of Bashar al-Assad. They also underlined importance of tourism to help the two nations get acquainted with each other./end