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Pakistan, Belarus FMs reaffirm commitment to promote mutually beneficial cooperation. Info minister says Lukashenko’s historical visit to help boost Pakistan’s economy.
ISLAMABAD – President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko on Monday arrived in Islamabad on his three-day official visit to Pakistan on the request of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
The Belarus President arrived at the Nur Khan Airbase, Rawalpindi where he was received by Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif along with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, Minister for Interior, Senator Mohsin Naqvi and Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar.
President Lukashenko’s visit from November 25-27, will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discuss areas of bilateral cooperation and engagement. Moreover, several agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) will also be signed during the visit. Belarusian President’s visit reflects the strong and growing partnership between Pakistan and Belarus.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday met his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov here, wherein two sides underlined the importance of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.
In the meeting, the two foreign ministers discussed bilateral and regional issues and the agenda and the programme of the visit of President Lukashenko to Pakistan, who is scheduled to arrive here later in the day, according to a Foreign Office press release.
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 emphasized the importance of enhanced cooperation in international and regional organizations to advance mutual interest and jointly address global challenges.
Meanwhile, Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar on Monday called out the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for pursuing the politics of “chaos and anarchy”, citing its violent conspiracy of May 9 arson.
Talking to the media at the Nur Khan Airbase, the minister said the people of Pakistan wanted the politics of progress and welfare which is manifested by the people-friendly initiatives of the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He said the national economy is taking off with the Pakistan Stock Exchange crossing the historical milestone of 100,000 points, and inflation plummeting to 6.9 per cent from 32 per cent, while foreign exchange reserves are swelling with a significant increase in exports, and also remittances that jumped to $8.8 billion in the first quarter.
He said two major commodities including electricity and petrol are cheaper than previous years, while interest rate and KIBOR stood at 15 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively. “This shows the economy is progressing and attracting foreign investment,” he added.
The minister said a high-level delegation from Belarus has already arrived in Pakistan the other day, while its President Alexander Lukashenko has just arrived in Islamabad. He said this is a historical visit for the bilateral relations of the two countries that enjoyed three decades of diplomatic ties.
Tarar called the two countries’ friendship and partnership “exemplary” while lauding the sentiments of the President for the people of Pakistan.
The visit of the President of a friendly country to Pakistan is welcoming development, he said, adding a number of business-to-business Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) would be signed during the visit to enhance the cooperation in multiple areas which would eventually benefit the masses.
He said the defence cooperation between Pakistan and Belarus is exemplary, while cooperation in other areas such as agriculture, agro processing, pharmaceutical, and textile will see an increase in the coming days. He said today Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar had welcomed the Foreign Minister of Belarus and both had discussed matters of mutual interest.
The minister said the current visit is the follow-up to a productive meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Alexander Lukashenko at the Astana during the SCO Summit.
He said the Belarusian President had visited Pakistan during the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who also visited Belarus on official visit. He said a warm welcome has been accorded to the President on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan.