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China, Belarus Agree to Strengthen Cooperation in Trade, Security

FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to military personnel during his visit to Oshmyany District, Grodno region of Belarus on March 26, 2024. A Belarusian human rights group said Thursday, July 4, 2024 that at least 10 political prisoners have been freed since the country’s authoritarian president this week promised to release seriously ill people jailed in connection with massive protests nearly four years ago. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)
FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to military personnel during his visit to Oshmyany District, Grodno region of Belarus on March 26, 2024. A Belarusian human rights group said Thursday, July 4, 2024 that at least 10 political prisoners have been freed since the country’s authoritarian president this week promised to release seriously ill people jailed in connection with massive protests nearly four years ago. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)
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China, Belarus Agree to Strengthen Cooperation in Trade, Security

FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to military personnel during his visit to Oshmyany District, Grodno region of Belarus on March 26, 2024. A Belarusian human rights group said Thursday, July 4, 2024 that at least 10 political prisoners have been freed since the country’s authoritarian president this week promised to release seriously ill people jailed in connection with massive protests nearly four years ago. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)
FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to military personnel during his visit to Oshmyany District, Grodno region of Belarus on March 26, 2024. A Belarusian human rights group said Thursday, July 4, 2024 that at least 10 political prisoners have been freed since the country’s authoritarian president this week promised to release seriously ill people jailed in connection with massive protests nearly four years ago. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)

China and Belarus have agreed to strengthen cooperation in a range of sectors including trade, security, energy and finance, a joint communique showed.

Belarus, which has been hit by Western sanctions over its support for Russia's offensive in Ukraine, said Thursday it will sign a free trade deal with China for services and investment.

China's Prime Minister Li Qiang was in Belarus to meet President Alexander Lukashenko, following a visit to Moscow where he hailed strengthening ties with Russia and met President Vladimir Putin.

Minsk and Beijing will sign a series of bilateral partnership agreements during his visit, the Belarusian presidency said in a statement on its website.

"One of them can definitely be called historic -- an agreement on the creation of a free trade zone for services and investment," it quoted Lukashenko as saying.

Minsk said the deal would create "transparent and predictable rules" that would boost Belarus' exports to China by at least 12 percent and Chinese investment into Belarus by 30 percent over the next five years.

According to AFP, Belarus has been targeted by sanctions over its support of Russia's military offensive on Ukraine and Lukashenko's crackdown on protesters following his disputed 2020 re-election.

It is hugely reliant on economic support from Moscow.

China meanwhile is flexing its economic muscle across Eurasia through vast infrastructure and financial projects, seeking to build up its soft power in an investment splurge that has concerned the West.

Both Belarus and China have been accused of enabling and supporting Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine.

Lukashenko said he wanted to see a "large influx of Chinese technology" into Belarus over the coming years.

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Araghchi Puts Conditions on Renewing Iran’s Ties with EU

Abbas Araghchi outlines his program to the Iranian parliament before confidence vote (Tasnim)
Abbas Araghchi outlines his program to the Iranian parliament before confidence vote (Tasnim)
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Araghchi Puts Conditions on Renewing Iran’s Ties with EU

Abbas Araghchi outlines his program to the Iranian parliament before confidence vote (Tasnim)
Abbas Araghchi outlines his program to the Iranian parliament before confidence vote (Tasnim)

A day after Iran's parliament approved President Masoud Pezeshkian's 19 minister-cabinet, the country’s new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, put conditions on the renewal of ties with European Union countries.

In an interview with Japan's Kyodo News, Araghchi said the new government has designated encouraging relations with East Asia a pivotal objective, and emphasized “Japan's prominent position” in this context.

The minister explained that due to hundreds of unilateral sanctions on Iran's economy, including banking and trade, imposed by the US government in the past decade to curb Iran's nuclear activities, Japan had to abandon the Iranian market.

Araghchi said he believes Iran and Japan, with their distinct yet complementary capabilities, hold immense potential for forging a mutually beneficial and stabilizing partnership across Asia.

Lifting Sanctions

The foreign minister explained that as a crucial step toward lifting the sanctions on Iran's economy and returning it to normal trade relations in the international community, the Foreign Ministry will seek to manage tensions with Washington and rebuild ties with European countries.

But he said that this will only happen if these countries abandon their “hostile approach” while aiming to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and lift sanctions.

“In my foreign policy address to the Islamic Consultative Assembly, I highlighted the crucial objective of lifting sanctions, particularly unilateral ones, through earnest, focused, and time-bound negotiations while upholding the nation's fundamental principles,” Araghchi said.

Iran struck a landmark nuclear pact in 2015 with six major powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

However, Trump criticized the deal as flawed and pulled the United States out of it in May 2018. Iran countered the US move by increasing its nuclear activities beyond the limits set in the deal.

Araghchi, a veteran diplomat who has also served as ambassador to Finland and Estonia, played a vital role in finalizing the 2015 nuclear deal as Iran's deputy foreign minister and senior negotiator.

Araghchi’s Promises

In his pitch to become the country’s top diplomat, Araghchi promised a “comprehensive and effective” foreign policy to tackle regional and global challenges, insisting on an approach free from political biases.
He outlined three key goals: protecting national interests, strengthening security, and upholding the country’s dignity.

Araghchi outlined his top foreign policy priorities, placing China, Russia, and emerging powers in Africa, Latin America, and East Asia at the forefront.
“These nations supported us during sanctions, and they will be central to our foreign policy,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of “good neighborliness,” vowing to strengthen ties with neighboring countries to capitalize on political and economic opportunities.

Iranian lawmakers supportive of Araghchi said they were pleased with his commitment to the parliamentary law on the nuclear program, as well as the regional activities of the Revolutionary Guards, and non-negotiation on the missile program.