Gigin explained why trade between Belarus and Pakistan does not correspond to the level of political dialogue

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Said Yusuf Raza Gilani on September 24 said that the countries should intensify relations in the economic sphere. About what prevents Minsk and Islamabad to increase trade turnover, in the talk show “Budni” on the YouTube channel “SBTV” and “Alfa Radio” told the Deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, General Director of the National Library of Belarus Vadim Gigin, reports sb.by.

Commenting on the words of the Head of State that the level of political and parliamentary interaction does not correspond to the economic level of relations between Belarus and Pakistan, the parliamentarian said:

- We have repeatedly said that our business and economic contacts often lag behind the pace set by the President. Pakistan is a very interesting country that has significant influence in the Islamic world. Despite some internal turbulence and instability, it is making progress. It has nuclear weapons, one of the strongest armies in the world. Pakistan has large mineral reserves and controls many logistics chains. Karachi is one of the key port cities in the Indian Ocean region. Pakistan has a difficult relationship with India. But Belarus is able to demonstrate a competent and balanced approach in this regard, maintaining friendly relations with both India and Pakistan. Pakistan is actively expanding its international influence. Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia recently signed a joint defense agreement, creating a new configuration in the Islamic world.

According to the guest of the talk show, our country, of course, should increase its presence in this market. There are political prerequisites for this.

- Last year, trade between Belarus and Pakistan amounted to only a few tens of millions of dollars. This, of course, does not correspond to the level of mutual understanding between the countries. Let me remind you, for example, that some time ago Alexander Lukashenko received Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his family in an informal atmosphere. These are very powerful people. And the Head of our state, of course, is respected and appreciated in this region, the deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly stated.

Explaining why economic interaction is not at the level it could be, the expert noted that there are several reasons:

- Our bureaucratic delays are hindered. At all meetings, which concern not only the external contour, but also internal issues, the President says that it is necessary to remove these delays, not to cling to them. And yet they exist. There are many administrative procedures, stereotypes and conventions that do not allow us to develop our relations. In addition, we have little knowledge of this region, do not know how to rotate there. This is what has been said many times: the creation of local schools. If we want to enter this market, we must have specialists who know not only English, but also Urdu, the national language of Pakistan. This will allow us to better understand local traditions and peculiarities, to have closer contact with business circles, without which we will not move anywhere. We need cultural events. Cultural diplomacy should not be underestimated. Let me give you an example of Oman, where we organized a book exhibition. Ambassadors from Algeria and Brunei came, and naturally Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko and our traditions were the focus. There should be more such activities. I would like to note the activity of the Embassy of Pakistan in Belarus. Including on the basis of the National Library, they held more than one event. And this is very important: the more connections, the better the result.

Summing up, Vadim Gigin emphasized that it is necessary to achieve lasting results:

- There are examples in South America and Africa, when after the President’s visits we gave results, there was a sharp increase, but we did not get a foothold and then there was a decline. That shouldn't be the case. This should not work in such a way that enterprises immediately sold some of their products, put a tick and left the market. There should be our representative offices, dealer offices. For example, few people know that the Minsk Tractor Plant has developed a special tractor for this region without any frills. And that's what Pakistan needs in the agricultural regions. The population of this country is growing – it needs our potash fertilizers, agricultural machinery, technologies. That's what you have to come with. And, of course, another weakness is our financial and economic component, foreign trade. In the conditions of pressure on us, when Western banks complicate the work, we need to use factoring and other schemes, attract intermediaries and so on. These paths should be actively explored. We can sell our products. She is competitive, known and loved. But often it is difficult to get money for it. Of course, these issues need to be addressed. Systematic work is needed. Not only in Pakistan, but also in other countries.

The talk show “Budney” is released on weekdays in the morning on “Alpha Radio”. Each issue discusses the most relevant topics from the life of the country and the world. Political scientists, scientists, public figures and journalists of leading media participate in the discussions. See the full version of the program on the VIDEOBEL.BY website and on the SBTV YouTube channel.