Iran and Belarus have signed a deal to launch the second phase of the Belarusian production line of the Iranian national car,  Samand, the official Irna  news agency reported.

Under the agreement, a joint Irano-Belarussian Unison Company will be formed to implement the $36 million contract to produce the Samand car in Belarus, Irna said.

Iranian Foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki inked the agreement alongwith the Belorussian government during his two-day visit to Minsk.

Alexei Vaganov, a senior official of the Unison Company, was quoted as saying that the car assembly line is expected to be fulfilled in 18 months.

'By 2010, the plant's annual production capacity would reach 120,000 vehicles, enabling Iran to export the cars to Central Asian countries and possibly to the European Union,' Vaganov said.

Mottaki  later held talks with Belorussian president Alexander Lukashenko and other high-ranking officials on ways to broaden effective bilateral ties of cooperation to escape negative effects of the ongoing global financial crisis.