Iran’s tourism minister, Reza Salehi Amiri, said on Wednesday that the visa waiver agreement with Belarus had been finalized during discussions held earlier in the day in Minsk between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko, according to Press TV.
Salehi Amiri said that the two countries had also agreed to launch direct flights between Tehran and Minsk to increase tourism visits.
He said the visa waiver program and direct flights would significantly boost cultural and tourism relations between Iran and Belarus.
“Tourism can be turned into a strategic bond between the two countries,” said the minister, adding that there was a genuine interest in Belarus for visits to historic and natural landmarks in Iran.
A report by the IRNA news agency indicated that the aviation authorities of Iran and Belarus had agreed to launch three direct flights per week between the two countries.
The agreements were part of 12 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed between Iran and Belarus after the meeting between Pezeshkian and Lukashenko on Wednesday.
The MoUs covered cooperation in the fields of political relations and international law as well as in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, health, environment, and free economic zones, according to a report by the IRNA.
Pezeshkian’s visit to Minsk is part of efforts by the Iranian government to expand its relations with regional countries amid sanctions that restrict Iran’s access to markets and investment in the West.
Pezeshkian arrived in Minsk after a two-day visit to Armenia, where his government ministers and officials signed key economic and trade agreements with their Armenian counterparts.
