Despite having overcome the apprehended isolation in the comity of nations, Pakistan was continuing making quite commendable strenuous efforts to further strengthen, promote and deepen its bilateral relations with the friendly countries and in the process also seek investment from these brotherly countries in various sectors to further stabilize the national economy and ensuring maintenance of its upward trajectory.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was spearheading these efforts by visiting brotherly and friendly countries in the region and even beyond one after the other in almost quick succession. During the first four months of 2025, he has already visited five countries, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabiaa and Belarus
His latest visit out of total 46 visits during his first and ongoing second tenure was a two days official visit to Minsk, Belarus.
During his somewhat hectic visit, the PM held a one to one in depth meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarus President has visited Pakistan a couple of times, the last being in November 2024 whereas this was PM Shehbaz Sharif’s maiden visit there. It was good to note that Pakistan and Belarus have agreed to further enhance bilateral cooperation across diverse fields. The two leaders also reiterated their firm resolve to boost their cooperation in defence and also agreed to jointly work for manufacturing of agricultural machinery, and expand cooperation in the production of electric buses and strengthening food security.
Following their interaction and delegation-level talks the PM quite happily announced that Belarus has extended a generous offer to Pakistan as a result of which Minsk will welcome as many as 150,000 highly skilled workers to make their appreciable contributions in its nation-building efforts.
The two leaders also addressed a joint conference, in which the PM assured his host that the skilled Pakistani work force would hopefully prove a valuable asset to Belarus and they would serve as a significant asset to Belarus given their international certifications and national accreditation. Highlighting Belarus’s expertise in agriculture and mining, the PM availed the opportunity to express his country’s interest in leveraging Belarussian knowledge and expertise to improve agricultural yields and also explore launching joint ventures in the mining sector, pointedly stating that Pakistan’s strong and immense mineral natural resources and deposits could make both the brotherly countries strong partners in this somewhat important area.
The PM might like to take Parliament into confidence invariably about each of his successful visits to brotherly countries. This would also help the people at large to know as to what their country ‘s leadership was doing and what good and betterment was coming their way in the coming days, weeks and months.Â
On his part President Lukashenko reaffirmed his country’s commitment to further deepening its existing relationship with Pakistan, emphasized the strategic importance of further expanding the existing collaboration between the two countries in trade, agriculture, industry, and technology and stated that in a confident manner that PM Shehbaz Sharif’s visit would surely and certainly pave the way for a long term, mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries.
It was quite noteworthy that the PM visited Belaz, the major global manufacturer of mining dump trucks, and transport equipment of mining and construction, near Minsk. During the visit, the PM was informed that its first product was made way back in 1950 with production of 25 tonnes truck and since the 1960s the factory had been producing heavy trucks, dumpers and mining machinery, besides electric dumpers and mining machinery and battery-driven trucks with payload capacity of 550 tonnes. It must be stated quite frankly that Belarus was far ahead of Pakistan in many respects as indicated by the PM’s visit to the Belaz factory. Talking to his Belarus counterpart Alexander Turchin, the PM invited a high-level Belarussian delegation to Pakistan for detailed discussion as to how these machines could be used in his country for productive purposes and also hinted at visiting Belarus again, possibly in the near future to further hold detailed meetings in this regard.
In turn, the Belarussian PM said that he would personally be visiting Pakistan along with a delegation. However, he did not say as to when his visit would take place. The PM ‘s visit to Belarus will surely go a long way in further boosting, strengthening and deepening of the bilateral ties between the two countries as the two countries have not only signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to foster mutual cooperation in various sectors and the visiting Pakistani PM and the host Belarussian President have vowed without mincing their words to take their relationship to new heights in a mutually beneficial manner
This quite welcome upturn in bilateral relations quite obviously assumes special significance as it has come within months of the successful visit of the Belarussian President to Pakistan in November 2024 when the two countries had reached an appreciable understanding to deepen and diversify their cooperation reflecting the immense political goodwill and commitment of their leadership.
It may also be stated here that the PM’s visit was apparently aligned with the objectives and targets which both Belarus and Pakistan had fixed in the Roadmap for Comprehensive Cooperation between the two countries for the period between 2025-27 which was focused on enhancing bilateral economic cooperation through a range of mutually agreed initiatives.
The economic cooperation and trade relations between the two can also improve substantially if the governments and the private sectors of both the countries fast-track their sincerely committed search for finding ways and means to reduce the prevalent trade barriers and facilitate access to each other’s markets.
Further, the PM might like to take Parliament into confidence invariably about each of his successful visits to brotherly countries. This would also help the people at large to know as to what their country ‘s leadership was doing and what good and betterment was coming their way in the coming days, weeks and months.
