President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko met with the Chairman of the Senate of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, at the Palace of Independence. The parliamentary delegation of this country paid an official visit to Belarus.
Addressing Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted, “You are an experienced person; you worked in executive bodies, so you know what the economy is. Now you are involved in lawmaking and head the Senate in Pakistan. It is very pleasant to meet the experienced man who has understood and realised a lot in this life.”
The Head of State noted that good relations had been established between the leaderships of the two countries, “This is encouraging and gives hope that we will achieve much more. We are already doing quite well, but the level of our political and parliamentary interaction clearly does not match the economic potential between Belarus and Pakistan.” The Belarusian leader noted that, during his recent meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek, the parties agreed to significantly intensify economic relations this year and further. “Shehbaz is very deeply involved in our relations, but I will be frank with you: I would like us to do everything on time,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The President conveyed his best wishes to Shehbaz Sharif and his brother Nawaz, the ex-PM of Pakistan, for their contribution to the development of bilateral relations.
“I really hope that we will accomplish a great deal in the future. I have a very serious request for you, bearing in mind your weight in Pakistan: that we, within the framework of the intergovernmental commission, conduct a serious audit of our relations, of the existing projects, and enter into the areas of co-operation that Pakistan and Belarus need today — and avoid delays in the implementation of these projects,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.One of the issues the Head of State raised at the meeting concerned the organisation of payment settlements. “The establishment of a normal financial exchange between our states is a very important issue. I think you are capable of doing this, I mean primarily the role you are playing in the world — especially in light of what you are doing to resolve the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz,” Aleksandr Lukashenko addressed the guest.
The Head of State is convinced, “Establishing a proper payment infrastructure between our countries will significantly boost our trade and economic relations.”
The President also drew attention to the fact that, in recent years, the volume of bilateral trade had declined, and that is largely due to the way payments were settled. “On our side, there are no problems or delays. I think and hope that, after your visit, these issues will be resolved on the Pakistani side as well,” the Belarusian leader added.
The Head of State recalled that earlier, during one of the meetings with Nawaz Sharif, a proposal had been put forward, “To establish close interregional co-operation. We fully support this, and we have the relevant experience. If the efforts and work of the parliamentarians are directed in this vein, we can achieve a lot in our relations.”
The Belarusian leader invited the Pakistani side to seize the moment and resolve all existing issues.
UPPER HOUSES OF BELARUS, PAKISTAN SIGN MOU
The Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the Senate of Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding in Minsk
“This document turns a new page in the history of our co-operation. I am confident that the memorandum will boost our relations. We will exchange visits,” Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova said.The speaker noted that the partnership between Belarus and Pakistan stands at a high level. This is evidenced by the close ties established between the two countries’ leaders, as well as mutual visits and the signing of a co-operation roadmap for 2025–2027. “We would like to advance inter-parliamentary co-operation as well. Although this is the first visit by a Pakistani upper house speaker to our country in nearly a decade, we have built excellent co-operation with our colleagues at international forums,” the Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic noted.
Natalya Kochanova also focused on trade, economic, scientific and technological co-operation. “Parliamentarians are driving this co-operation forward. The economy is our top priority,” the speaker said.
‘MUCH WORK TO DO, BUT WE WILL SUCCEED’
Belarus and Pakistan should focus on putting into action the economic agreements they have already reached — as stated by the Chairman of the Senate of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, after his meeting with the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko
“We had a great meeting with the President, who is a strong friend of Pakistan. Pakistan also shares a good friendship with Belarus. We liaise very effectively on various international platforms such as the UN, SCO, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. During our discussion with the President of Belarus, we addressed specific issues concerning the development of economic relations. We talked about the measures required to move forward with decisions in this area. After all, we have signed nearly a hundred memorandums of understanding, and now it is important to turn them into concrete actions. The emphasis should be on implementing the decisions already made. There is much work ahead, but we are confident we will succeed,” Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani noted.The Pakistani delegation’s visit programme included negotiations at the Council of the Republic of Belarus’ National Assembly, where a memorandum of co-operation between the Council of the Republic and the Senate of Pakistan was signed. The visit also involved talks with Government leaders and tours of the Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ), the Minsk Scientific and Practical Centre for Surgery, Transplantology and Haematology.
“A single meeting is insufficient to cover all topics. Therefore, we are continuing our programme with numerous meetings and negotiations scheduled. We look forward to productive co-operation,” the Pakistani guest emphasised.
During their visit to MTZ, the delegation gained a comprehensive understanding of the production process. The Chairman of the Pakistani Senate stated, “We already have contracts and agreements with Belarusian companies, and this visit is meant to deepen our understanding to improve the efficiency of our partnership. We are very keen on expanding co-operation in agriculture and machine building.”
VISIT TO TRACTOR MAKER MTZ
A delegation of the Pakistani parliament led by Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani visited the Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ)
MTZ Director General Taras Murog informed that Pakistan is a traditional partner of the Belarusian flagship of the machine building industry: over many years of co-operation more than 70,000 tractors have been shipped to the market of this country.“The MTZ 510 model remains the most popular one in Pakistan. Thanks to its technical specifications, it is ideal for working on heavy soils typical of this region. This is why the meeting mainly focused on shipments of vehicles both this year and in the future,” the head of the enterprise noted.
Speaking about export volumes, Taras Murog stressed that the company expected to maintain the figures of previous years and gradually expand its presence despite logistical challenges. “Logistics is quite complex today, and it is hard to forecast changes in this area. As for the development of industrial co-operation, both sides have a mutual interest in resuming the operation of the assembly facility. The previously created manufacturing facility suspended the production of machines due to geopolitical factors, and we discussed in detail the possibilities of restoring assembly operations,” the Director General explained.
The foreign delegation went on a tour of an exhibition of the holding company’s machines and vehicles. The Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan personally assessed the capabilities of the machine building industry and tested the MTZ 4522 tractor model. A tour of the MTZ Labour Glory Museum and Industrial Centre was also organised for the guests where they got acquainted with the history and achievements of the enterprise. The parties exchanged commemorative gifts, and the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan left an entry in the guestbook.
Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by
