Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised on Tuesday 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, said a joint statement between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Belarus.

Belarusian President Lukashenko arrived in Pakistan on Monday at the invitation of PM Shehbaz.

The two leaders reviewed the bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening friendly ties between the two countries across “political, trade, economic, cultural, social, and other areas.”

This year marked the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Belarus. Both sides acknowledged that their relationship had grown into a durable, broad-based, and comprehensive partnership of increasing significance.

Pakistan congratulated Belarus on its full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), with Belarus noting Pakistan’s early support for its accession.

The prime minister appreciated the active participation of the Belarusian PM in the SCO Council of Heads of Governments meeting, hosted by Pakistan in October 2024. The two sides agreed to work closely within this important forum to further strengthen their cooperation.

While recognising 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 the production of high-tech and large-scale agricultural machinery.

Both sides also agreed to collaborate in the sales, manufacturing and servicing of vehicles, including through partnerships between private and public organizations of both countries.

Both sides also agreed to cooperate in expanding the network of sales and services of Belarusian agricultural machinery in various Pakistani cities, including through partnerships with Pakistani private and public organizations.

They considered initiating educational programmes in the sphere of agricultural machine manufacturing.

At an event, the two sides agreed to encourage both government and private sectors to collaborate and organise a series of seminars on “Doing Business with Each Other” aiming to reduce trade barriers and facilitate market access.

To enhance trade linkages, both sides welcomed the signing of an MoU between the National Logistics Corporation and Beltamozhservice and agreed to encourage other stakeholders, including logistics companies, to develop optimal maritime and land routes for efficiently delivering goods to each other’s markets.

Both countries also committed themselves to enhancing academic collaboration, facilitating student exchanges, and supporting joint research projects between universities in the two countries.

During the visit, the two sides signed fifteen important agreements and MOUs, including the “Roadmap for Comprehensive Cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Belarus for the period 2025-2027.”