DUSHANBE, 15 September (BelTA) - Belarus is extremely interested in developing cooperation with Pakistan, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Dushanbe on 16 September, BelTA has learned.
“We are very interested in cooperation with a huge country such as Pakistan. I am sure that your specialists and members of the government will find a lot of interesting in Belarus for Pakistan,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The head of state added that the trade between the countries is very low at the moment. At the same time, according to him, despite the difficult times, mutual trade increased considerably last year and especially this year.
Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei is expected to visit Pakistan in 2021. The parties agreed to intensify work on the preparation for a meeting of the intergovernmental commission. “This will help us intensify our contacts in all the areas. We have no closed topics in our relations with Pakistan,” the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko hailed Pakistan's successful development, which continues despite the existing difficulties in the region. “We will be glad to contribute to this development. We are waiting for you in Minsk,” he said.
Imran Khan echoed the Belarusian leader's opinion that the region is going through difficult times: the countries are struggling with the consequences of the pandemic, there are new security challenges after the events in Afghanistan, and various political issues need to be addressed.
According to the prime minister, the two countries boasts long-standing relations and enjoys especially close cooperation in agriculture and industry. He expressed hope that the visit of the Belarusian delegation would contribute to the strengthening of bilateral cooperation.
