News & Events in Belarus

Lukashenko: Belarus, Pakistan need to monetize high level of political relations

ISLAMABAD, 26 November (BelTA) – Belarus and Pakistan need to monetize the high level of their political relations, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko told the media following the talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan in Islamabad on 26 November, BelTA has learned.

Following the talks, the parties signed a comprehensive cooperation roadmap for the coming years and a large number of memorandums. However, the head of state believes that this is still not enough.

"While preparing for this meeting, I thought that memorandums are a good thing. They outline our intentions to develop cooperation. But we need agreements and contracts. The prime minister of Pakistan, as if he read my mind, told me word for word: ‘Look, it was a good idea to sign memorandums, but we need agreements and contracts. Let's meet in Minsk and sign these agreements and contracts  in furtherance of the memorandums reached today. A brilliant proposal!" Aleksandr Lukashenko stated.

The president recalled that Belarus and Pakistan have been cooperating for 30 years and already done a lot. Why do the countries need a new roadmap then? "We need an updated, modern roadmap. We need to discard what does not work and what we do not need today in the changing world," he explained. "Pakistani specialists know Belarus quite well, but it is advisable to learn more about modern Belarus. Shehbaz Sharif said that his specialists are ready to come to Minsk in two weeks to review some agreements and contracts. He is also willing to visit us in February, and we will sign the relevant agreements and contracts in furtherance of our current intentions. This is a good plan."

"Today we have also stated the main fact about our relations. We have excellent diplomatic ties. We share the same vision for the international agenda. But our trade and economic cooperation is lagging far behind and falling short of the potential. We need to monetize our political relations and deepen economic cooperation," Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

According to him, during the talks the parties discussed all aspects of cooperation, from agriculture to military-industrial complex. "Nowadays, there are no closed topics related to the cooperation between Belarus and Pakistan. We will develop cooperation in any area that is of interest to Pakistan. We have everything that Pakistan needs today and maybe even tomorrow. I mean the technologies that we have preserved since the times of the Soviet Union, then modernized and developed. We are open to share them with Pakistan. Defense industry, agriculture, transport, logistics, agricultural mechanical engineering, heavy trucks, electric vehicles... We will show all this to the specialists. This is what Pakistan needs very much these days," the head of state said.

The president noted that in the modern world not only large states own great technologies. "Medium-sized or small states also have them. Pakistan needs to develop relations with such states. We are open to this. We can do a lot for Pakistan. We are happy to buy goods produced there. Especially textile and many other things. We have always treated Pakistan as a valuable and reliable partner not only in South Asia, but also in the whole Muslim world," the Belarusian leader said.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks