Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad arrived in Belarus today for two days of meetings that will include talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alyaksandr Lukashenka. On at least one issue, Ahmadinejad and Lukashenka see eye to eye -- their mutual antipathy toward the United States.

After two rounds of voting at the UN General Assembly, Belarus has failed in its bid to win a seat on the United Nations' Human Rights Council. Bosnia entered the race at the last minute, reportedly persuaded by Western governments alarmed at the prospect of Belarus being elected to the council.

Western governments and human rights activists are concerned over the possibility that Belarus -- sometimes called Europe's last dictatorship -- could win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Ilham Aliyev, the president of oil-rich Azerbaijan, said today that Azerbaijani and Belarusian firms have begun consultations on future cooperation in the energy sphere.

A senior U.S. official says relations between the United States and Belarus can improve only if Minsk releases political prisoners and allows opposition groups to operate freely, RFE/RL's Belarus service reports.

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said today that his country needs a "multi-faceted" foreign policy to preserve the country's independence, RFE/RL's Belarus service reports.

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Minsk is ready to deepen ties with European countries provided they drop their "double-standards policy," RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported.