Belarus president arrives in Islamabad on three-day state visit

ISLAMABAD: President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko on Monday arrived in Islamabad on his three-day visit to Pakistan starting Monday, ARY News reported.

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif received and welcomed President Aleksandr Lukashenko at Noor Khan Airbase in the capital city. The prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Atta Tarar and others to welcome President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said President Aleksandr Lukashenko will hold extensive talks with PM Shehbaz Sharif to discuss areas of bilateral cooperation and engagement.

Several agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) will also be signed during the visit. “The visit of the President of Belarus reflects the strong and growing partnership between Pakistan and Belarus,” the Foreign Office

A ministerial delegation of Belarus led by Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov had already arrived in Islamabad. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi received the delegation at the airport.

Earlier on Monday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov as the two sides underlined the importance of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.

In the meeting, the two foreign ministers discussed bilateral and regional issues and the agenda and the programme of the visit of President Lukashenko to Pakistan, who is scheduled to arrive here later in the day.

The two sides expressed satisfaction over the momentum of bilateral exchanges and high-level visits between Pakistan and Belarus and expressed the hope that President Lukashenko’s visit would further boost bilateral relations.

The ministers also discussed key regional and global developments, including the situation in the Middle East. They expressed their support for a peaceful resolution of conflicts and underlined the need for a coordinated approach to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The two sides emphasized the importance of enhanced cooperation in international and regional organizations to advance mutual interest and jointly address global challenges.