ISLAMABAD: A 17-member business delegation of Belarus visited the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) to explore possibilities of business collaborations between the two countries. The delegation was representing various fields, including production of agricultural machinery, textiles machinery, heavy duty vehicles like trucks, buses, industrial machinery and many other sectors.
Speaking on the occasion, Dennis Kozlov, the head of Belarusian delegation, said that Belarus was looking for markets and considered Pakistan important country for business partnerships. He said the visit of President of Belarus to Pakistan in May and Prime Minister of Pakistan to Belarus in August this year along with signing many MoUs reflected the keen interest of leadership of both countries to further strengthen bilateral trade and economic relations.
He said the purpose of our visit to Pakistan was to explore opportunities for investment and joint ventures. He said Belarus has established Free Economic Zones and Pakistani businessmen should visit Belarus to find out investment opportunities in these Zones. It was agreed that Islamabad and Belarusian Chambers of Commerce and Industry would develop close cooperation to facilitate the connectivity between private sectors of their countries. The delegation also gave presentations about their companies and products.
In his welcome address, Atif Ikram Sheikh, President, ICCI said that Pakistan and Belarus had commenced bilateral relations in 1960s when the collaboration for import and assembly of Belarusian tractors in Pakistan was started. However, the bilateral trade between the two countries was quite low as compared to available potential and there was a need to redouble efforts for improving two-way trade.
He said both countries have potential to enhance trade relations in many areas including agriculture, energy, automobile, industrial machinery, IT, steel, furniture and many other sectors. He said Pakistan could export many products to Belarus including textile products, fruits & vegetables, food products, leather goods and others.
He said Belarusian automobile companies should set up production plants in Pakistan to manufacture all kinds of heavy duty vehicles and other construction machinery which were in great demand in Pakistan. He said the economy of Pakistan offered plenty of investment opportunities in various sectors and Belarusian investors should explore Pakistan for investment and joint ventures. He said both countries should facilitate frequent exchange of trade delegations which would help in promoting business linkages and exploring new avenues of mutual cooperation. Sheikh Pervez Ahmed Senior Vice President and Sheikh Abdul Waheed Vice President also highlighted potential areas of mutual cooperation.
