Both sides sign several agreements, MoUs to enhance bilateral trade, agriculture, food, defence and technology. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko discuss ways to realise MoUs, agreements.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Belarus on Tuesday agreed on the early realization of bilateral accords to enhance cooperation in trade, agriculture, food, defence and technology to monetize the decades-old political bilateral relations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, addressing a joint press stakeout following their bilateral meeting and delegation-level talks here, said that both sides had reached an agreement to solidify the understanding reached between the two leaders and convert them into agreements by February next year.
Talking to the media, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif referred to the closeness between Pakistan and Belarus and said that in their “productive” bilateral meeting and the delegation-level talks, they discussed the cooperation in multiple sectors including commerce, tourism, defence, food and others.
He lauded President Lukashenko’s commitment to turning the bilateral understandings into practical agreements and actions. The prime minister told the media that the two sides would sit together later in the day to finalise the roadmap for cooperation in agriculture, joint ventures, mining and minerals, IT and possibilities for heavy machinery manufacturing. This will follow another discussion in Minsk to finalize and make arrangements for agreements to be signed in February next year by him and President Lukashenko to convert them into concert actions.
The prime minister said that their meeting also featured a discussion on the heart-wrenching situation in Gaza where 45,000 people had been killed while the ceasefire could not yet take place despite the UN resolutions and the ruling by the International Court of Justice.
Expressing gratitude to the Belarusian president for the Kashmir cause, he said global peace would remain a far cry until the issues were resolved.
In his remarks, President Lukashenko said both sides discussed the ways to realize the MoUs signed by two sides and also appreciated Prime Minister Shehbaz’s vision and approach to turning the bilateral understanding into actions.
He said Pakistan and Belarus had decades-old political and diplomatic relations which necessitated to monetise these ties for the benefit of the two peoples and utilise immense potential.
He expressed his country’s willingness to share technology with Pakistan in different areas of expertise and also assured support to work on the agreed areas of cooperation.
Earlier in their meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko reaffirmed the commitment to deepening their friendly ties across political, trade, economic, cultural, social, and other areas.
They emphasized the importance of advancing political dialogue and strengthening inter-parliamentary relations. They also focused on expanding trade and economic cooperation, adopting a collaborative approach to regional economic integration and connectivity and enhancing the legal framework to facilitate bilateral collaboration.
Recognizing Belarus’s advanced agricultural manufacturing capabilities and the needs of Pakistan’s agriculture-based economy, the two sides agreed to promote the establishment of joint ventures in the agriculture and industrial sectors, including for the production of high-tech and large-scale agricultural machinery.
Both the sides also agreed to collaborate in sales, manufacturing and servicing of vehicles, including through partnerships between private and public organizations of both countries. This initiative aims to leverage the strengths of both countries in automotive manufacturing and technology, boosting industrial growth and innovation.
Earlier, both the sides signed the “Roadmap for Comprehensive Cooperation between the two countries for 2025-2027,” which outlines a strategic framework for enhancing economic ties through high-level meetings, inter-governmental commissions, and targeted collaborative initiatives
These agreements and MoUs are focused on cooperation in environmental protection, disaster management, halal trade, audit institutions, financial intelligence sharing, vocational education and science & technology.
The importance of regional economic integration and connectivity was emphasized, with both sides agreeing to improve the legal frameworks needed to facilitate bilateral economic collaboration.
The President of Belarus appreciated the efforts the Prime Minister of Pakistan for taking the relations between Pakistan and Belarus to new dimensions and expressed his and his government’s full cooperation in this regard.
He also invited Shahbaz Sharif to visit Belarus, which will further expand the relationship.
Accepting the invitation, the Prime Minister said that during his visit, the MoUs will be formalized into agreements.
Meanwhile, both sides signed several MoUs and agreements for collaboration in diverse fields including science and technology, environment, vocational training, customs, health and Halal Trade.’
According to the details, the MoU between the Ministry of Commerce Pakistan and Ministry of Anti-Monoploy Regulation of Belarus on Electronic Commerce Cooperation was signed.
Agreement was signed on Science and Technology Cooperation between National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
The MoU in the field of accreditation between Pakistan National Accreditation Council of Pakistan and Republican Unitary Enterprise Belarus was also signed.
The MoU on cooperation between the Committee of State Control of Belarus and Office of the Audit General of Pakistan was signed.
They also signed an MoU between the Department of Financial Monitoring of the state control committee of Belarus and Financial Monitoring Unit Government of Pakistan.
An MoU between Pakistan Customs, FBR and State Customs Committee of Belarus was signed.
An agreement between National Academy of sciences of Belarus and Pakistan academy of sciences was signed.
Similarly, both sides also signed an agreement between Govt. of Pakistan and Govt of Belarus on International Road Transport.
An MoU on cooperation in the field of Environmental protection between Ministry of Natural Resources Belarus and Ministry of Climate change Pakistan was also signed.
The MoU between Ministry of Emergency Situations of Belarus and NDMA Pakistan in fields of prevention and elimination of emergencies was signed.
They also signed an MoU between NAVTTC Pakistan and Educational Institution of Belarus.
A treaty between Republic of Belarus and Republic of Pakistan on extradition of criminals was also signed.
An MoU on cooperation between DRAP, Ministry of National Health Services Pakistan and Republican Unitary Enterprise Belarus for expertise and Tests in health services was signed.
MoU for cooperation in Halal Trade between Pakistan Halal Authority Ministry of Science and technology and Belarusian Halal Standardisation and Certification Center of Belarus was signed.