Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the Republic of Belarus on Thursday for a two-day official visit at the invitation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Belarus Prime Minister Alexander Turchin and officials of the Pakistan embassy in Belarus welcomed the prime minister on his arrival in Minsk.

He was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi.

During his visit from April 10-11, the prime minister will hold talks with President Lukashenko to review progress in areas of mutual interest.

“Over the past six months, a series of high-level bilateral engagements —including the 8th Session of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in February 2025 and a subsequent visit by a high-powered mixed ministerial delegation to Belarus in April 2025 — have laid the groundwork for a productive visit,” the Foreign Office said in a statement today.

“The two sides are expected to sign several agreements to further strengthen cooperation.

“The Prime Minister’s visit underscores the strong and ongoing partnership between Pakistan and Belarus,” the FO said.

In November last year, Pakistan and Bel­arus signed a three-year, wide-ranging ‘Roadmap for Compr­ehensive Cooperation’ agreement, aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

The Roadmap for Comprehensive Cooperation between Pakistan and Belarus for 2025-27, described by the Pakistani government as a “key outcome” of the visit, was among 15 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements signed during talks between PM Shehbaz and the Belarusian president. These were followed by a delegation-level meeting.

Other MoUs signed on the occasion covered cooperation in e-commerce, science and technology, accreditation, auditing, vocational education, health services, and halal trade.

The two countries also agreed to collaborate on intelligence sharing related to money laundering and terrorism financing, customs statistics on bilateral trade, international road transport, and disaster management.

Additionally, agreements were reached on environmental and climate change cooperation, along with an extradition treaty to bolster legal frameworks.

A joint communique issued at the end of the visit emphasised the significance of these agreements, stating that they are “expected to open new prospects for the continued development of bilateral relations based on the principles of mutually beneficial friendship.”