By Henry Srebrnik, [Charlottetown, PEI] Guardian
Belarus recently made news when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Moscow would store nuclear weapons in the country. The country is ethnically, religiously and linguistically Russia’s closest ally. They have close military relations.
Russian is also an official language in Belarus and widely spoken, including by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. Indeed, the literal translation of the word Belarus is White Russia.
Heavily dependent on Moscow for money, fuel and security assistance, all vital to his own survival after 28 years in power, Lukashenko is widely believed to be under growing Russian pressure to get more involved in the Ukraine war.
Last October, during a visit to Russia, Lukashenko announced the formation of what he called a “joint regional group of troops” to counter “possible aggression against our country” by NATO and Ukraine. He accused Ukraine, which shares a long border with Belarus, of planning attacks from the south, without citing evidence.
Ihor Kyzym, the ambassador of Ukraine to Minsk, was summoned to the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he was handed a note stating that Ukraine was allegedly planning an attack on the territory of Belarus. As a result, Ukraine announced that it was building a reinforced concrete wall and other fortifications on its border with Belarus, which is more than 1,000 kilometres long.
Meanwhile, Putin has been forced to embrace Iran because he finds himself totally isolated on the global stage following the invasion of Ukraine. The countries that have so far remained loyal to Moscow – Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea, and Syria -- can hardly be said to uphold the principles of democratic rule.
Though the regime in Tehran is beset by a protest movement that it hasn’t been able to completely suppress, it is supplying Moscow with drones and the personnel to train its forces to use them.
Iran’s theocratic establishment is rushing to cross the nuclear threshold in order to become a nuclear-armed state. Iran wants Russia to help it speed up its nuclear program. Russia and Iran previously worked together to construct several nuclear reactors in Iran and advance the regime’s nuclear technology.
The closer ties between Russia and Iran have also had an effect on Belarus. Iran and Belarus have been increasingly brought together over their alliance with Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Lukashenko travelled to Tehran in mid-March, the first such visit in 17 years, and met with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi. Lukashenko also met with Ayatollah Ali Khameini, and Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik held talks with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Thirty years after the start of relations “the two countries have the will to strengthen cooperation,” Raisi stated, praising their “common strategic vision.”
The two countries pledged to bolster bilateral cooperation, particularly in industry, agriculture, transportation, and technology. They also discussed using the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union to boost their economic ties, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Iran and Belarus signed a “road map of comprehensive cooperation” that will last until 2026. It mentions cooperation regarding politics, consular matter, science, technology, education and tourism, among other fields. Lukashenko and Raisi first discussed the plan in 2021. Lukashenko invited Iran to set up joint high-tech manufacturing facilities during a meeting with Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber.
The two states have both suffered relative international isolation. While Belarus has not sent troops to Ukraine, it did allow Russia to use its territory to invade the country last year, which led to American and European Union sanctions.
Iran has long been sanctioned by the United States over its nuclear energy program and is facing increased international scrutiny for its recent violent crackdowns against domestic protests and for its support for Russia. This too has led to international criticism and sanctions from the United States and Europe.
Raisi promised Lukashenko during their meeting that the Islamic Republic can help Belarus mitigate the effects of sanctions.
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