ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate of Pakistan Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani Friday said that Pakistan and Belarus have a strong foundation of friendly relations and should translate their longstanding ties into mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals, technology and people-to-people contacts.
Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani’s official visit to Belarus, undertaken at the invitation of Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova, is marked by a series of high-level and substantive engagements aimed at translating longstanding Pakistan-Belarus friendship into practical parliamentary, economic, industrial and technological cooperation.
Exchanging views with leadership of the Council of the Republic of Belarus, he expressed gratitude for the warm reception and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations.
The Chairman Senate held detailed talks with Chairperson of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova, beginning with a one-on-one meeting followed by expanded discussions with members of both delegations. The two sides reviewed bilateral and inter-parliamentary relations, implementation of the Roadmap for Cooperation 2025–2027, parliamentary friendship groups, regional linkages, interbank cooperation and humanitarian exchanges.
Both sides also emphasized the potential for joint ventures, technology transfer, assembly production and enhanced cooperation in agriculture and pharmaceuticals.
A key outcome of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Council of the Republic of Belarus and the Senate of Pakistan by Natalya Kochanova and Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.
The MoU provides a framework for regular parliamentary exchanges, institutional linkages, interregional cooperation and coordinated engagement on international parliamentary platforms. Chairman Senate termed the agreement a practical step towards taking Pakistan-Belarus inter-parliamentary relations to a new level.
As part of the official programme, Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani also visited Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ), where he reviewed the company’s production capabilities and modern agricultural machinery.
The Pakistani delegation was informed that more than 70,000 Belarus tractors have been supplied to Pakistan over the years. Discussions focused on expanding cooperation, including the resumption of tractor assembly in Pakistan, increased exports, modern agricultural equipment and technology cooperation.
Chairman Senate also visited the MTZ Museum-Industrial Center of Labor Glory and was briefed on the plant’s 80-year history and industrial achievements. The visit concluded with an exchange of souvenirs and the Chairman signing the Book of Honoured Guests.
The ongoing visit reflects a focused and forward-looking approach to Pakistan-Belarus relations, combining parliamentary diplomacy with engagement on trade, investment, industry, agriculture, technology and institutional cooperation, with a view to opening further avenues of mutually beneficial partnership.
