June 4, Pozirk. Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Chenin has met with his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Muhammad Asif in Islamabad to discuss cooperation in the automotive industry between the two countries, the Belarusian defense ministry’s press office said.
The press office would not elaborate on the nature of cooperation, but the position of the interlocutors suggests that the talks might have something to do with deliveries of transporter erector launcher vehicles from Belarus to Pakistan. Last year, Washington sanctioned the Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant (MZKT), a manufacturer of special heavy-duty military vehicles, and three Chinese companies for their role in Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program.
Asif reportedly said he would be happy to visit Belarus and pledged to share the experience of Pakistan’s participation in peacekeeping missions.
The defense ministers agreed to meet at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s event in China to discuss the preliminary results of their agreements.
Chrenin also met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, but no details have been released so far.
Belarus and Pakistan signed a military cooperation agreement on April 11 after Sharif’s talks with Alaksandar Łukašenka in Minsk. On the same day, the Belarusian Defense Industry Committee, to which the MZKT is accountable, and the Pakistani Ministry of Defense Production approved a military-technical cooperation roadmap for 2025–2027.
