ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Belarus have agreed to finalize a roadmap to enhance cooperation in diverse fields including agriculture, mines and minerals, Information Technology and Heavy Machinery Manufacturing.
The consensus was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the positive progress in all aspects of Pakistan-Belarus relations during the past decade.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his remarks said Pakistan attaches importance to its relations with Belarus.
The Prime Minister informed the visiting dignitary about Pakistan’s economic recovery policy, which focuses on export-led growth and attracting investment from friendly countries.
The two leaders also discussed regional and international issues.
Both countries have also signed several MoUs and agreements for collaboration in diverse fields including science and technology, extradition, international road traffic, environment, vocational training, customs, health and Halal Trade.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko witnessed the signing ceremony after their talks in Islamabad.
Later in a joint press conference, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two countries will meet in two weeks to convert discussions into practical steps.
He said this will be followed by the signing of agreements in February next year, emphasising that this will be a great march forward for the two nations to benefit from each other’s capacities and capabilities.
Shehbaz Sharif added the President of Belarus is a great friend of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan have also high respect for him.
The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to the Belarusian President for his support for the people of Kashmir who have been fighting for the right to self-determination over the last many decades.
The President of Belarus, in his remarks, said Pakistan has never been a distant land for him but a very close and friendly country.
He said the two sides discussed a whole range of collaboration in areas from agriculture to defence during the meeting.
He went on to say his country is ready to share its technologies with Pakistan. He expressed his country’s interest in purchasing various products including those of textiles from Pakistan.
Earlier, during delegation-level talks, the two countries discussed the full spectrum of bilateral ties as well as important regional and international developments.
They reiterated the shared commitment of both countries to the deepening of their political dialogue, strengthening inter-parliamentary exchanges and enhancing bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
The Prime Minister and President of Belarus expressed their satisfaction at the current positive trajectory of Pakistan-Belarus relations.
The Prime Minister accepted Aleksandr Lukashenko’s invitation to visit Belarus.
Belarus President arrived in Pakistan on Monday on an official three-day state visit to discuss bilateral cooperation.
Before his arrival, a 75-member high-level delegation from Belarus arrived in Islamabad on Sunday, which included Belarusian foreign minister, minister for energy, minister for justice, minister for transport, minister for natural resources, minister for emergency situations, and chairman of the Military Industry Committee.
Additionally, 43 prominent business personalities of Belarus were also part of the delegation.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov, wherein the two sides underlined the importance of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.
Meanwhile, Pakistan PM’s Coordinator on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam and Belarusian Minister for Natural Resources and environmental protection, Sergey Maslyak have agreed to work closely together to boost cooperation for achieving common environmental sustainability and climate resilience-related goals, with a focus on eco-tourism, water conservation, circular economy, green technology transfer, exchange programmes, biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation, an official press release stated.
