ISLAMABAD: The Joint Working Group of Pakistan and Belarus on Monday agreed on a trade and economic roadmap for bilateral cooperation in short and medium-term.

The fields identified for cooperation included trade, economy, industry, agriculture, agricultural research, investment, science and technology, textile, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

The two sides agreed to expand the range of mutual trade in goods, increase the share of goods in the field of high technologies and high value-added products.

It was decided that cooperation in the area of trade in services such as information technology, healthcare, financial services, transport and logistics would be enhanced.

Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastagir Khan and Belarusian Minister for Industry Vitaly M Vovk led their respective countries at the working group meeting. Dastagir said both the countries can take bilateral trade to $1 billion in the next five years from the current $57 million.

He said that soon a formal request would be made to the Eurasian Economic Commission for starting negotiations on FTA. It was also agreed that cooperation in the field of quality control, quarantine, certification and standardisation of products will be intensified. Cooperation would also be made to eliminate the existing and prevent the introduction of new trade barriers.

A joint trade committee would be established and it would hold meetings every six months alternately in each country. The first meeting of the committee will take place by the end of 2015. The committee will discuss the identification and elimination of trade barriers between the two countries, the establishment of commercial bank branches on reciprocal basis and any other issue hampering the growth of bilateral trade

The two sides agreed to hold regular consular consultations to discuss cooperation in consular sphere as well as visa facilitation mechanism for businessmen, persons participating in scientific, academic and cultural activities in both countries.

The exchange of Belarusian and Pakistani delegations of customs authorities to reconcile trade statistics was also agreed between the two sides.

Published in Dawn, September 29th , 2015

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