Belarus-India joint working group on pharmaceuticals to meet in June 2026

MINSK, 19 March (BelTA) - The third meeting of the Belarus-India joint working group on pharmaceuticals is planned to be held in June 2026, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Belarus Ashok Kumar said during the Belarusian-Indian Pharma Business Forum in Minsk on 19 March, BelTA has learned.

Over more than three decades India and Belarus have developed a strong multilateral partnership in the pharmaceutical industry, Ashok Kumar said. “This cooperation combines India’s strengths as a global leader in the production of generics and cost-effective innovation with Belarus’ strengths in terms of advanced industrial production, research and development potential, and strategic geographical location. Over the last decade Indian-Belarusian ties have deepened amid geopolitical changes, economic resilience, and shared interests in ensuring affordable healthcare,” he said.

According to the ambassador, Belarus and India established a joint working group on pharmaceuticals to develop bilateral cooperation in this important industry. “The first meeting of the group took place in New Delhi in 2017, and the second was held online in 2023. The third meeting of the group is planned to be held in June 2026 in an online format. Our countries have also established a joint working group on science and technology, the recent meeting of which took place in August 2020 online. Both parties are working to hold the next meeting as soon as possible,” he said.

Ashok Kumar added that the Belarusian pharmaceutical industry is focused on growth, increasing local production, and expanding retail demand. “Over five years, from 2019 to 2024, the pharmaceutical production increased by approximately 80% with an average annual growth rate of about 13.2%, making the pharmaceutical industry one of the fastest growing in the country,” he said.

The ambassador also noted that India and Belarus maintain excellent bilateral relations. India was one of the first countries to recognize Belarus as an independent state in 1991, and official diplomatic relations were established in April 1992, when India opened its diplomatic mission in Minsk. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko visited India in 1997, 2007, and 2017, and the president of India visited Minsk in June 2015. In September 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India met with President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Tianjin, China, on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

Just five years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, in 1997, the Belarus-India Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Industrial, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation was established. The 11th meeting of the intergovernmental commission took place in New Delhi in November 2022. Both parties are working on organizing the 12th meeting of the commission, which is planned to be held in 2026, Ashok Kumar added.