Belarus president arrives on 3-day visit

ISLAMABAD: President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko on Monday arrived in Islamabad on his three-day official visit to Pakistan on the request of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

The Belarus president arrived at the Nur Khan Airbase, Rawalpindi where he was received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif along with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Minister for Interior Senator Mohsin Naqvi and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar. President Lukashenko during his visit from November 25-27, will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discuss areas of bilateral cooperation and engagement.

Belarusian President’s visit reflects the strong and growing partnership between Pakistan and Belarus. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Belarus are set to sign sixteen Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for various sectors on Tuesday (today).

The MoU between Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) and Financial Intelligence Unit of Belarus Concerning Cooperation in the Exchange of Financial Intelligence Related to Money Laundering, MoU between the State Customs Committee Belarus and the Customs Wing of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of Pakistan on cooperation in exchange of customs statistics data of bilateral trade, MoU on cooperation in the field of vocational education between the Republican Institute for Vocational Education: (Republic of Belarus) and the National Vocational and Technical Commission (Islamic Republic of Pakistan), MoU on cooperation in the field of environment & climate change, agreement between National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Pakistan Academy of Sciences regarding cooperation in the field of science and technology will be inked.

Belarus and Pakistan will sign extradition treaty. The agreement between Pakistan and Belarus on mutual protection of classified information will also be inked.

The roadmap for comprehensive cooperation between the Belarus and Pakistan for promoting trade ties from 2025-2027 will be devised. The MoU between Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan on Electronic Commerce (MoU on E-Commerce will be inked.

The MoU on cooperation between the Committee of State Control of Republic of Belarus and Office of the Auditor General of Pakistan will be signed. The draft agreement between Pakistan and Belarus on cooperation in the field of prevention and elimination of emergencies in case of any disaster will be inked.

The agreement between Pakistan and the Belarus on international road traffic will be signed. The MoU on Cooperation between DRAP and the Unitary Enterprise Center for Examinations and Tests in Health Service between the two sides.

The MoU for cooperation in halal trade between the Pakistan Halal Authority (PHA) and the Belarusian Halal Standardization and Certification Centre will be inked. The MoU in the field of accreditation between Pakistan National Accreditation Council and Belarusian Center for Accreditation will be signed.

The agreement on science and technology cooperation between National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research will also be signed. Meanwhile, Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar called out the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for pursuing the politics of “chaos and anarchy”, citing its violent conspiracy of May 9 arson.

Talking to the media at the Nur Khan Airbase, the minister said the people of Pakistan wanted the politics of progress and welfare which is manifested by the people-friendly initiatives of the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

He said the national economy is taking off with the Pakistan Stock Exchange crossing the historical milestone of 100,000 points, and inflation plummeting to 6.9 percent from 32 per cent, while foreign exchange reserves are swelling with a significant increase in exports, and also remittances that jumped to $8.8 billion in the first quarter.

He said two major commodities including electricity and petrol are cheaper than previous years, while interest rate and KIBOR stood at 15 percent and 13 percent, respectively. “This shows the economy is progressing and attracting foreign investment,” he added.

The minister said a high-level delegation from Belarus has already arrived in Pakistan the other day, while its President Alexander Lukashenko has just arrived in Islamabad. He said this is a historical visit for the bilateral relations of the two countries that enjoyed three decades of diplomatic ties.

Tarar called the two countries’ friendship and partnership exemplary while lauding the sentiments of the president for the people of Pakistan. The visit of the President of a friendly country to Pakistan is welcoming development, he said, adding a number of business-to-business Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) would be signed during the visit to enhance the cooperation in multiple areas which would eventually benefit the masses.

He said the defence cooperation between Pakistan and Belarus is exemplary, while cooperation in other areas such as agriculture, agro processing, pharmaceutical, and textile will see an increase in the coming days.

He said today Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar had welcomed the Foreign Minister of Belarus and both had discussed matters of mutual interest. The minister said the current visit is the follow-up to a productive meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Alexander Lukashenko at the Astana during the SCO Summit.

He said the Belarusian President had visited Pakistan during the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who also visited Belarus on official visit. He said a warm welcome has been accorded to the President on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and Belarus reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation in key areas, including industrial development, trade, agriculture, and electric vehicles (EVs). The discussions took place during a meeting between Pakistan’s Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain and Belarusian Industries Minister Aliaksandr Yafimua, who led a delegation to Pakistan.

Rana Tanveer Hussain emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in the industrial and agricultural sectors. He noted that Pakistan holds significant export potential with Belarus in various sectors, including inflatable footballs, bedding items, sports and outdoor games equipment, footwear, rubber, plastic, and metal products. He urged both countries to explore opportunities to enhance trade and industrial collaboration.

Minister Yafimau highlighted that Belarus imports goods worth $17.2 billion annually, adding that Pakistan’s share in this trade does not reflect its full export potential. He assured that Belarus would provide greater access to its market for Pakistani products, citing items such as inflatable footballs, bedding, sports equipment, and footwear as key export opportunities.

It is to be noted that Pakistani share in Belarus imports is very minimal of only $0.35 million per year. The meeting also focused on strengthening ties in the agricultural sector. Minister Rana Tanveer proposed increased cooperation in manufacturing agricultural machinery and tractors, with a focus on technology transfer through joint ventures (JVs). He extended an invitation to the Belarusian delegation to start a pilot project aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity in Pakistan.

Millat Group, a major Pakistani agricultural machinery company, expressed interest in forming a joint venture with Belarus to manufacture agricultural equipment locally. The discussion also included prospects for Belarusian investment in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, with Tanveer noting that 31 companies in Pakistan have received manufacturing licenses from the Engineering Development Board (EDB) to produce two- and three-wheeler EVs.

In line with Pakistan’s National Electric Vehicle Policy 2019, Tanveer highlighted ambitious targets, including reducing emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and converting 30 per cent of vehicles to electric vehicles, along with 50 per cent of bikes being converted to e-bikes by the same year. He added that the government is considering establishing an EV Cell and launching a subsidy scheme to promote EV adoption.

The two sides also discussed expanding cooperation in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector, with joint efforts between Pakistan’s Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and the Belarusian Fund for Financial Support of Entrepreneurs currently under consideration.

Both ministers also revisited the Industrial, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation Agreement, initially signed during the second Pakistan-Belarus Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting in November 2017. The agreement is now being reviewed for re-signing, pending Belarusian concurrence, after which it will be submitted for cabinet approval.

Tanveer and Yafimau agreed to convene another meeting of the Joint Working Group soon to finalize cooperation plans and explore further areas of mutual benefit.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and Belarus have agreed to share experiences and cooperate for betterment of law and justice system through digitalisation, capacity building for prosecutors and attorneys, legal education and awareness and legislative drafting.

A meeting between Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Minister of Justice for Belarus, Kovalenko Evgeny took place on Monday.

The meeting was marked by a spirit of warmth and mutual respect, as both leaders expressed their ardent desire to further fortify the existing bilateral relations between the nations. The Belarusian minister elaborated on the purview and mandate of the Ministry of Justice in Belarus, highlighting the potential for a bilateral accord.

The key discussion points included digitalisation of the legal system, capacity building for prosecutors and attorneys, legal education and awareness, legislative drafting and international cooperation, exchange of bar councils/associates, International Mediation and Arbitration Center (IMAC), and Case Assignment and Management System (CAMS).

The meeting yielded significant outcomes, including an invitation extended by the Minister of Justice for Belarus to the Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Pakistan, and his team to visit Belarus, which was warmly reciprocated.

The federal minister for law and justice provided a comprehensive briefing on previous treaties and MoUs, laying the groundwork for future cooperation.

Both the ministers expressed enthusiasm for collaboration in legal education and exchange of bar councils/associates, and explored potential areas for future collaboration in IMAC and CAMS.

The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote of thanks, as both dignitaries expressed their profound appreciation for the productive dialogue and warm hospitality. As a symbol of their mutual esteem, the ministers exchanged commemorative shields and memos, sealing their commitment to furthering the bilateral relationship between their nations.

With a shared vision for a brighter future, the meeting marked the beginning of a new chapter in Pakistan-Belarus relations. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar met his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov here, wherein two sides underlined the importance of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.

In the meeting, the two foreign ministers discussed bilateral and regional issues and the agenda and the programme of the visit of President Lukashenko to Pakistan, who is scheduled to arrive here later in the day, according to a Foreign Office press release.

The two sides expressed satisfaction over the momentum of bilateral exchanges and high-level visits between Pakistan and Belarus and expressed the hope that President Lukashenko’s visit would further boost bilateral relations.

The ministers also discussed key regional and global developments, including the situation in the Middle East. They expressed their support for a peaceful resolution of conflicts and underlined the need for a coordinated approach to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The two sides emphasised the importance of enhanced cooperation in international and regional organisations to advance mutual interest and jointly address global challenges.