ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Belarus have agreed to further strengthen cooperation across political, trade, economic, defence, and cultural fields.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, on the sidelines of the Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek on Tuesday, a PM office’s media wing said on Tuesday.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the positive trajectory of Pakistan–Belarus bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif meets the President of Belarus H.E. Aleksandr Lukashenko along the sidelines of SCO Council of Heads of State Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on 1 September 2026. pic.twitter.com/bsTU19tyoZ
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) September 1, 2026
While recalling President Lukashenko’s historic visit to Pakistan in November 2024, followed by the Prime Minister’s visit to Belarus in April 2025, the two leaders agreed to further enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, industry, agriculture, IT and vocational training as priority sectors.
As the incoming Chair of the SCO Council of Heads of State, the Prime Minister extended a warm invitation to the President of Belarus to visit Pakistan next year.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with the President of the Republic of Belarus, His Excellency Mr. Aleksandr Lukashenko, on the sidelines of the Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek today.
The two leaders… pic.twitter.com/4uBl3azUSH
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) September 1, 2026
Both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening the longstanding and cordial relations between Pakistan and Belarus, with a resolve to take bilateral ties to new heights.
Pakistan assumes SCO chairmanship for next year
Earlier, Pakistan formally assumed the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for the upcoming year, taking responsibility for steering the regional bloc toward greater cooperation and shared development.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a post on X on Tuesday, said that Pakistan will conduct its SCO chairmanship under the theme Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.
The Prime Minister also congratulated the Kyrgyz Republic on successfully hosting the SCO Summit and praised its leadership in steering the organization.
Shehbaz Sharif addresses SCO summit
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking at the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting, called water the “lifeblood” of South Asia and warned that it must never be weaponised.
He also urged respect for binding water treaties, including the Indus Waters Treaty, while calling for lasting peace and greater regional cooperation.
Shehbaz said the region could not realise its full potential without lasting peace and called for the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) to be honoured.
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“Water is the lifeblood of our region. It sustains millions of lives, nourishes our land and secures the very future of our coming generations,” he said.
He stressed that it “must never be weaponised; it cannot be used as an instrument of coercion, nor can it ever be exploited for political leverage”.
“The treaties governing our shared waters are solemn, binding international commitments. They are not matters of political convenience to be cast aside at your will. They must be honoured unconditionally, in both letter and spirit.”
Pakistan’s fight against terrorism
Turning to terrorism, Shehbaz described it as “one of the gravest threats that has affected our entire region in its various forms and manifestations”.
As chair of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, Pakistan has “worked actively to strengthen regional counter-terrorism cooperation”, he said.
