Global Rice News

Belarus Ambassador Urges Islamabad’s Business Community to Foster Joint Ventures

In a bid to strengthen trade ties between Belarus and Pakistan, Ambassador Andrei Metelista has called on the business community of Islamabad to forge joint venture groups with Belarusian businesses. During his visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Metelista emphasized the importance of identifying common areas of cooperation between the two countries’ businessmen.

With the upcoming visit of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to Pakistan, high-level talks and multiple bilateral Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) are expected to be signed, with a focus on developing joint ventures between the business communities of both countries. The Belarusian ambassador revealed plans to sign several trade and economic agreements during President Lukashenko’s visit.

Despite the current bilateral trade volume of only $60 million, Metelista highlighted that the actual potential for trade between Pakistan and Belarus is much higher. Belarus primarily exports heavy machinery, fertilizers, agriculture equipment, synthetic filament, chemicals, and malt extract to Pakistan. In return, Pakistan imports textiles, rice, citrus fruits, leather apparel, leather footwear, and medical instruments from Belarus. Metelista emphasized that the farm sector of Pakistan can greatly benefit from Belarus’ highly developed research in agriculture, particularly in terms of rice and citrus production.

President of the ICCI, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, emphasized the importance of Belarus as an Eastern European country and stated that a Free Trade Agreement between Belarus and Pakistan is inevitable. He also stressed the need for the exchange of business delegations to explore the untapped potential of both countries. Bakhtawari offered to lead a delegation of the business community to Belarus as an initiative by the ICCI.

Representatives from the Belarus Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as prominent figures including Zafar Bakhtawari (Secretary General of the United Business Group) and Khalid Iqbal Malik (Chairman Founder Group, ICCI) highlighted the necessity for private sectors from both countries to join forces in order to strengthen trade ties.

With both Belarus and Pakistan having diverse offerings in terms of trade and economic collaboration, the development of joint ventures between the two countries holds great promise. By leveraging each other’s strengths and exploring mutually beneficial opportunities, both Belarusian and Pakistani businesses can thrive and contribute to the economic growth of their respective nations.

Source: [Dawn](https://www.dawn.com)