Belarus and Pakistan intend to elevate their cooperation to an even higher level. This was stated by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.
The Head of State warmly welcomed the foreign guest, noting his great pleasure at his arrival in the hero city of Minsk in the year of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Belarus and Pakistan. "Today, as we agreed with your Prime Minister recently (on July 4, 2024, in Astana on the sidelines of the SCO summit. - BELTA's note), we want to renew, by revising, our relations and bring them to an even higher level than before," emphasized Alexander Lukashenko.
In this regard, the parties are implementing an agreement to develop a joint action plan for the future – a roadmap for 2025-2027, where, according to the President, the main areas of cooperation will be defined. "I would very much like the parliamentarians of our countries to be involved in the creation of this plan for relations between Belarus and Pakistan. When creating this roadmap, we will have to revise the regulatory legal acts, agreements, memorandums, and treaties signed between the two countries. In this regard, deputies could contribute to a higher quality development of the roadmap," believes the Head of State. He also expressed interest in having deputies from both countries join the work of the trade and economic commission and give an additional impetus to its activities. "This would be a good support for the work of the trade and economic commission," said the Belarusian leader.
Regarding cooperation in international forums, the President thanked Pakistan for supporting Belarus at the United Nations and in its accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. "We have established good relations of mutual support within these and other international organisations. We must continue this policy and deepen it. Belarus is ready for this," stated Alexander Lukashenko.
Speaking about bilateral trade, the President noted that it averages around $50 million. "You must agree that the trade turnover between a high-tech Belarus and a country with over 200 million people (like Pakistan. - BELTA's note) is, I would say, even meagre. Therefore, we need to deepen and expand our trade turnover in terms of nomenclature," the head of state is convinced. "We are ready to satisfy your interest during this visit and present Belarus in all areas."
The Pakistani guest said that he fondly recalls the meeting with the head of the Belarusian state in 2016 during his visit to Pakistan. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq thanked the President of Belarus for the opportunity of such a meeting and emphasised: "You are absolutely right, the journey was long, but when we talk about friends, time does not matter. I convey the warmest greetings from the Prime Minister of Pakistan and special wishes from the leader of the Pakistani party, Nawaz Sharif. He sends you special warm wishes as he considers you a personal friend."
The Speaker of Parliament also noted: "I completely agree with you, we have good bilateral agreements - there are over 90 agreements and understandings. However, in practice, they are not being implemented to a sufficient extent."
Belarus and Pakistan are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2024. In 2022-2024, there has been positive dynamics in interstate contacts and similar approaches to resolving a number of international issues.
Dialogue is maintained between the two countries at the highest and high levels. Alexander Lukashenko made two visits to Pakistan: in May 2015 and in October 2016. In addition, the President of Belarus met with the Prime Ministers of Pakistan on the sidelines of summits in Beijing in 2017, in Bishkek in 2019, in Dushanbe in 2021, and in Samarkand and Astana in September and October 2022.
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