Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenko arrived in Pakistan to a somber welcome. It was restrained because the capital was in lockdown because of the PTI protest. Imprisoned PTI chief Imran Khan had met President Lukashenko on the sidelines of a SCO Summit. On the face of it, the two countries do not have that much in common. However, President Lukashenko is the last of the people who had inherited their countries from the USSR when it was dissolved. Belarus shares close cultural ties with Russia, which have translated into political ties, to the extent that it has firmly supported Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, and though it has avoided any embroilment of forces, that has been discussed in a way that has been done for no other state. Pakistan’s interest in Belarus has developed of late, with its increasing rapprochement with Russia. That relationship owes itself to the increasingly close ties of the USA with India, which has meant the latter’s distancing itself from Russia. Pakistan also grew closer to Russia because of China, which is a sort of honest broker in this relationship.
However, this is not just a security relationship. True, Belarus is also interested in the area because of the One Belt One Road project, as well as Pakistan’s attitude to the Russian conflict in Ukraine, which will be discussed by President Lukashenko with his host Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The conflict in Gaza might seem peripheral, but there will be considerable attention devoted to it. Of more interest to the two leaders is the trade volume between the two Trade was cumulatively worth $50 million, Pakistan exporting surgical instruments in exchange for tractors. This is clearly very low, and President Lukashenko has brought a 68-member trade delegation along with him. Among other activities, a Pakistan-Belarus Business Forum was held at which 8 MoUs were signed worth $17 million. This was apart from the 16 MoUs signed between the two governments covering a wide range of areas of cooperation.
It has been noticeable that the present government has promoted trade not aid. That means that countries like Belarus, from which there can be no realistic expectation of aid, gain in importance, because they are still able to be trading partners. Because they do not have any hang-ups about being powerful or wealthy, they may actually prove a better fit for Pakistani businessmen.
