Pakistan, Belarus agree on nuclear energy cooperation

Lukashenko calls for resolution of Kashmir dispute in light of UN charter.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Belarus on Wednesday agreed to cooperate in the field of nuclear energy and on devising a tripartite trade mechanism by involving a third country. Just days after India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that India had ‘isolated’ Pakistan globally, the president of Belarus also voiced support for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in light of the United Nations charter.

“Belarus and Pakistan want to promote cooperation in nuclear energy for peaceful means,” President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said in a joint news briefing with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif following their meeting at the PM House. He also supported Pakistan’s bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).



An official statement also quoted the Belarusian president as supporting the resolution of all outstanding disputes between Pakistan and India, including the Kashmir issue, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions and through peaceful means.



Government sources are interpreting the three-day visit of Alexander Lukashenko, who arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday to sign a number of important agreements, as a direct blow to the Indian premier’s claim. “Lukashenko’s visit is a scathing rejoinder to the claim Modi made a few days ago,” said a senior functionary of the Prime Minister’s house. “This is an extraordinary move that entails extraordinary implications in the region,” the insider said.

Elaborating on this assertion, the source said the visit needs to be seen in the backdrop of Pakistan’s revamped relationship with Russia and developments to this effect. “Pakistan and Russia have lately warmed up to one another and joint military ventures are going on. Belarus and Russia share a close diplomatic and strategic equation. Pakistan’s emerging appearance in this picture is something India never wanted to happen.”

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in his meeting with Lukashenko, once again held India responsible for escalating tensions at the Line of Control (LoC), linking this move to the hostile neighbour’s bid to divert international community’s attention from grave human rights violations in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

“More than 110 innocent people have lost their lives (in IOK), and more than 12,000 have been injured, with hundreds in critical condition. More than 700 people have suffered severe eye injuries due to the use of pellet guns by the Indian occupation forces and more than 150 have become permanently blind,” the premier informed the visiting president, according to the PM House statement.

On cooperation between Belarus and Pakistan, the premier said, “Our two countries enjoy a warm, cordial and multi-faceted relationship. Pakistan is keen to forge closer ties with Belarus in all fields including trade, economy, investment, industry, education, defence, agriculture, culture and other areas—the momentum of increased high level exchanges between the two countries needs to be maintained.”



The visiting president said Belarus and Pakistan need to explore the possibility of creating joint ventures for the production and processing of wide range of agricultural products, including the production of milk powder, other dairy products, textiles, auto parts, surgical instruments, pharmaceuticals and other areas of mutual benefit. “Belarus has significant expertise in building of heavy machinery including automotive engineering, agricultural harvesting machinery, road construction machinery and dump trucks— Both sides can develop joint ventures and business-to-business contacts in these areas,” he said.

A number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two sides during bilateral talks, related to the expansion of areas of cooperation in the field of agriculture, industrial cooperation, crime counteraction, education, postal, customs and banking collaboration.

A joint statement issued after the bilateral meetings envisages strengthening of ‘inter-parliamentary’ relations, trade and economic relations, as well as the expansion of the legal framework for bilateral cooperation.

The visiting president invited Prime Minister Nawaz to visit Belarus. The invitation was accepted. Details of the visit will be coordinated through diplomatic channels.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2016.