Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said Belarus had pledged to invite over 150,000 young, highly skilled Pakistani workers to contribute to their country’s nation-building efforts.
Calling it a “gift” for the people of Pakistan, Sharif expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity, highlighting that this initiative will not only benefit the Belarusian economy but also provide meaningful livelihoods to Pakistani youth. “I assure you that the skilled Pakistani workforce, duly certified both by international standards and through national accreditation, will serve as a valuable asset to Belarus,” he said during a joint press conference with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Recalling Lukashenko’s visit to Pakistan in 2015-16, the prime minister said it had laid the foundation of long journey of friendship and cooperation in areas of mutual interests. He also expressed his government’s interest in benefiting from Belarus’ experience in various areas, especially agriculture.
“Pakistan is an agrarian country and 65% population reside in rural areas. We need your expertise to increase our per acre yield by utilizing the modern methodologies in the sector,” he said, adding Pakistan also desired joint ventures between Pakistani and Belarusian companies. “The companies from both Pakistan and Belarus will have a win-win situation in this regard,” he said.
Highlighting Belarusian expertise in manufacturing equipment of the mining sector, Sharif said Pakistan had mineral deposits worth trillions of dollars and both countries could become great partners in this sector.
In his address, Lukashenko emphasized the importance his country placed on fostering strong ties with Pakistan. He said that Belarus looked forward to deepening cooperation on multiple fronts.
Welcoming the Pakistani prime minister, Lukashenko highlighted the potential for expanding bilateral collaboration in diverse sectors, including trade, industry, agriculture, and technology. He expressed confidence that the high-level engagement would pave the way for long-term strategic partnership and mutual growth.
The president noted that Sharif’s visit would serve as a catalyst for opening new avenues of cooperation between the two nations. He stressed the need to explore untapped areas of partnership and to build upon the existing friendly relations.
Bilateral cooperation
Earlier, during their meeting, both leaders agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in several areas including agriculture, food security, industries, trade, defense, manufacturing of electric buses and food security.
Both sides discussed matters relating to trade, investment and regional issues and expressed satisfaction over the recent progress on all aspects of the bilateral relations.
During the prime minister’s visit, the two countries inked several agreements and memorandums of understanding aimed at enhancing cooperation across multiple sectors.
The governments of Pakistan and Belarus signed a Readmission Agreement as well as an Agreement on Cooperation between the interior ministries of two countries. Another agreement was signed on cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries.
The two sides signed a Program (Roadmap) of the Military-Technical Cooperation between the State Authority for Military Industry of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Defense Production for 2025-2027.