Pakistan, Belarus agree to boost trade

Pakistan and Belarus have reached agreement on several steps to expand trade and investment, Dawn reported. The outcome came at the end of a two-day Joint Ministerial Commission meeting in Islamabad, co-chaired by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Belarus Minister for Energy Dzenis Maroz. Both sides also welcomed a newly created Joint Working Group on Trade, which is tasked with identifying new openings and addressing trade issues.

The two countries committed to arranging virtual business-to-business meetings covering marine food, fresh produce, seeds and dairy goods. They also agreed to take a bigger part in farm exhibitions, food fairs and reciprocal trade delegations, with the aim of building partnerships and investment. On science and technology, Pakistan proposed starting work on a mutual recognition agreement under an existing memorandum between the standards bodies of the two nations.

The arrangement under discussion would back the acceptance of each other's standards, certification checks and conformity evaluations, and make bilateral trade easier. Belarus, for its part, suggested exploring cooperation on emerging technologies such as water conservation, solid waste handling and wastewater treatment. Separately, Mr Maroz met Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to discuss possible cooperation across several sectors.