Pakistan, Belarus enter new era of cooperation

ISLAMABAD/MINSK: Pakistan and Belarus have entered a new phase of bilateral relations as both countries signed a series of significant agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to Minsk.

Among the key developments was a military cooperation agreement between the Ministries of Defense of both countries. A roadmap for collaboration between Belarus’s State Authority for Military Industry and Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production was also finalized.

Further agreements included an MoU between Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and Belarusian firm JS CM Corridor, as well as an MoU between the Belarusian Fund for Financial Support of Entrepreneurs and Pakistan’s Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA).

Trade and communication ties were also strengthened with an agreement between the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Pakistan’s Trade Development Authority, alongside a postal exchange agreement between Pakistan Post and Belarus Post.

A readmission agreement was signed between the Interior Ministries of both countries, and a roadmap for the implementation of an MoU on environmental protection was also developed.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was warmly received by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, where he was accorded a guard of honour.

During a joint press conference, both leaders emphasized the vast potential for economic and strategic cooperation and urged Belarusian companies to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan.