Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko arrived in Islamabad on Monday on his official three-day state visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Live footage from the state-run Pakistan Television Network showed he hugged PM Shehbaz after landing at the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi. Children presented bouquets to the Belarusian president.

The premier was accompanied by his deputy and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. Belarusian ministers were also there.

The Belarusian president “will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and discuss areas of bilateral cooperation and engagement,” according to a curtain raiser by the Foreign Office.

The November 21 statement said that several agreements and memorandums of understanding would also be signed during the visit.

Prior to his arrival, a 68-member high-level delegation from Belarus arrived in the federal capital 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.

As many as 43 prominent business personalities of Belarus are also part of the delegation.

Pakistan, Belarus FMs reaffirm commitment to promote mutually beneficial cooperation

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov in Islamabad wherein two sides underlined the importance of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to promote mutually beneficial cooperation

The two foreign ministers discussed bilateral and regional issues and the agenda and the programme of the visit of President Lukashenko to Pakistan, according to the Foreign Office.

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 organizations to advance mutual interest and jointly address global challenges.