GRODNO, 20 December (BelTA) – Grodno Oblast of Belarus and one of the Iranian provinces plan to establish twinning relations. The decision was announced after the meeting between Grodno Oblast Governor Vladimir Karanik and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Belarus Saeed Yari on 20 December, BelTA has learned.
The parties discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of cooperation in the economic and other sectors, and the establishment of contacts between Grodno region and the Iranian Province of Qazvin.
According to Said Yari, the parties will develop twinning relations. “This will be the first official agreement between the regions of Iran and Grodno Oblast. The move will help increase trade between the regions and the countries," he said. Grodno Oblast has welcomed the proposal.
According to Vladimir Karanik, trade and economic relations between Grodno Oblast and Iran have been vibrant. “2020 was a record year in this regard. The mutual trade increased manyfold. Despite the pandemic restrictions, we were able to maintain this positive momentum in 2021,” he said. Iran, in particular, needs products of mechanical engineering, chemical industry, and of processing enterprises of Grodno Oblast.
“However, the potential of our relations is still hugely untapped. With the existing restrictions on the part of the EU and the counter-sanctions we have even more opportunities to increase the trade,” added Vladimir Karanik. He stressed that following the meeting working groups will be set up to prepare mutually beneficial projects and regulatory framework.
