Iran's Pezeshkian to visit Armenia, Belarus
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Armenia and Belarus on August 18 to boost trade, finalize agreements, and advance Tehran’s push for deeper integration with the Eurasian Economic Union.
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A stock picture of Iran's presidential Airbus A340 seen during a visit to Turkey in 2018 (Anadolu Agency)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to travel to Armenia and Belarus next week as part of a two-day diplomatic tour aimed at advancing economic and political cooperation with the two Eurasian states.
Mehdi Sanaei, the president's deputy chief of staff for political affairs and a former Iranian ambassador to Russia, confirmed the trip on Saturday. "Mr. Pezeshkian will embark on a two-day trip to Armenia and Belarus starting from the afternoon of Monday, August 18," he wrote on X.
According to Sanaei, the visit will prioritize expanding trade relations and finalizing a number of bilateral agreements with Yerevan and Minsk. The trips had initially been scheduled for late June but were postponed.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had already indicated earlier this month that Pezeshkian's Armenia visit was imminent. The Armenian Economy Ministry later confirmed that the Iranian president will participate in the Armenian-Iranian business forum during his stay in Yerevan, with discussions expected to involve sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, and logistics.
Eurasian Partnership Drive
The visits come as Tehran pushes for deeper integration with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), of which Armenia and Belarus are both members. Iran has held a temporary free trade agreement with the bloc since 2019, and Pezeshkian's government has expressed interest in upgrading the arrangement to full membership. Strengthening ties with Yerevan and Minsk directly feeds into this strategic objective.
Armenia has become a critical partner for Iran as a gateway to regional trade routes, especially given its geographic position linking the South Caucasus to Eurasia. The two countries have also been expanding cooperation in energy and transport, including discussions over new transit corridors that bypass sanctions-related restrictions.
Belarus, meanwhile, has long maintained close relations with Tehran, with both governments reaffirming shared opposition to Western sanctions. The two countries have previously signed agreements on industrial cooperation, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals, areas likely to see further development during Pezeshkian's visit.
Read more: Iran's defense minister in Belarus to bolster military, strategic ties
The tour also comes just ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, scheduled for late August, to which Pezeshkian has been invited. His bilateral engagements with EEU members are expected to strengthen Iran's position going into that multilateral forum.
