Pakistan and Belarus have agreed to finalize a roadmap for promotion of concrete cooperation in diverse fields including agriculture, mines and minerals, Information Technology and Heavy Machinery Manufacturing.

This came at a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko in Islamabad today.

Later in a joint press stakeout, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides will again sit down this afternoon to hold discussion on the roadmap for future cooperation.

He said the two sides will meet again in two weeks’ time to finalize and convert these discussions into practical steps. He said this will be followed by inking of agreements in February next year, emphasizing that this will be a great march forward for the two countries to benefit from each other’s capacities and capabilities.

Shehbaz Sharif said the President of Belarus is a great friend of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan have also high respect for him.

The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to the Belarusian President for his support for Kashmiri people who have been fighting for the right to self-determination over the last many decades.

In his remarks, the President of Belarus said Pakistan has never been a distant land for him but a very close and friendly country.

Appreciating the pragmatic approach of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he said the two sides discussed a whole range of collaboration in areas from agriculture to defence.  

He said his country is ready to share its technologies with Pakistan.  He expressed his country's interest to purchasing various products including those of textiles from Pakistan.

Earlier, during delegation level talks, the two sides discussed the full spectrum of bilateral relations as well as important regional and global developments.

They reaffirmed the shared commitment of both countries to the deepening of their political dialogue, strengthening inter-parliamentary exchanges and, in particular, enhancing bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

The Prime Minister and President of Belarus expressed their satisfaction at the current positive trajectory of Pakistan-Belarus relations.

The two leaders agreed to maintain this momentum through regular high-level engagement and institutional cooperation.

The Prime Minister accepted Aleksandr Lukashenko's invitation to visit Belarus.