25 April 2025, 15:03

Pakistan offers Belarus raw materials, specialists for cotton industry

MINSK, 25 April (BelTA) – Pakistan offers Belarus raw materials and specialists for the cotton industry, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he spoke about plans to bring in migrant workers to Belarus, including from Pakistan, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that at the talks in Minsk Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposed signing an intergovernmental agreement that would spell out all the aspects of labor migration from Pakistan to Belarus.

This includes sending skilled specialists to Belarus. Such workers are much needed at the cotton mill in Baranovichi. “We have inherited it from the Soviet Union. This factory is good. It makes cotton items, sheets, pillowcases. We need all of that. Yet, we don't have cotton, but Pakistan does. They have looked at it and said that it is a great factory,” the Belarusian leader said.

According to the president, the Pakistani side suggested providing Belarus with the necessary raw materials and specialists. “This is a great deal for us. Note that Pakistan's textile industry is one of the best in the world. They sell textile products all over the world. If they help us in Baranovichi, send specialists... I said: it is a great idea, we will create all the conditions, even build housing, if you provide us with raw materials and the specialists that we need. And we will work together,” the Belarusian head of state emphasized.

Moreover, Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested that Pakistan buy a share in the enterprise, but this issue will be discussed later. “I even suggested that they buy the company's shares. He [Shehbaz Sharif] said: no, first you need to make sure that we can handle it. And then, he says, we will divide this enterprise and decide who will get what. Their attitude to us is very honest. I will tell you frankly, all this has been built and is maintained thanks to personal relations,” the Belarusian leader remarked.