TEHRAN- Iran’s first vice president said late on Monday that Western powers’ unilateral sanctions on countries that seek independence have provided a great chance to rely on their own scientists’ expertise.

The comment was made by Mohammad Mokhber at a meeting with Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, who made a two-day visit to Tehran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been able to break considerable grounds in the fields of science and technology by overcoming these sanctions,” Mokhber said.

He stated that the two nations may leverage Iran’s experience coping with sanctions to strengthen their collaboration.

Mokhber noted that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has stressed the need to swiftly putting Iran-Belarus accords into effect. He added that “the North-South Transportation Corridor provides a great potential for collaboration between the two states.”

The two nations must work together to provide the required rail, sea, and air transport infrastructure to significantly promote freight and passenger transportation along this vital corridor, he suggested.

A foundation for a new level of reciprocal ties in various sectors will be established as the two countries signed a comprehensive cooperation roadmap and seven MOUs, the vice president remarked.

“We should make good use of the appropriate chance for the growth of all-out ties that has been established by the united will and strategy of the presidents of Iran and Belarus,” Mokhber suggested.