Русский
The Belarus Ministry of Transport and Communications has said that logistics companies from Russia, Belarus and Pakistan have signed a MoU that will allow increasing freight traffic between the three countries, but also with the countries of the “Far Arc” which also includes Brazil, Cuba, and Venezuela in Latin America; Nigeria and South Africa in Africa; and India, Vietnam, China and Mongolia in Asia.
Cooperation within the framework of this allows Belarus to enter new markets through Pakistani ports, while access to these ports will provide transit through Russia. An agreement was also signed to create a new international transport corridor from Belarus to Pakistan’s Indian Ocean ports.
Pakistan has a population of 247.5 million and is a major consumer nation. Its main Indian Ocean ports are Karachi, Port Qasim, and Gwadar Port. These are connected by road and rail to the national Pakistani network. Belarus can increase exports of much-needed fertilizers to Pakistan, which can in turn export citrus fruit and other agricultural produce to Belarus. Both products are globally competitive from these markets.
The Belarus Ministry stated that “A trilateral memorandum of understanding has been signed: on the Belarusian side, by the national logistics operator Beltamozhservice, on the Pakistani side, by the Pak Shaheen logistics Corporation, and on the Russian side, by the container transportation operator Neko Line Asia.”
Dmitry Kovalenok, the Director General of Beltamozhservice said that “The signing of the memorandum is the basis for creating optimal logistics solutions not only for the delivery of goods between Belarus, Russia and Pakistan, but also for a wide range of countries in the far arc.”
The ‘Far Arc’ countries are all the markets where Belarusian logistics was forced to reorient itself after sanctions were imposed in 2022, and which at the moment are still insufficiently connected for Belarusian trade. The signing of the MoU makes it possible to launch new transport routes, ensure a balanced volume of goods supplies between Belarus and Pakistan, achieve optimal logistics costs on the new transport corridor and increase cargo turnover both with and through Pakistan.
In addition, in April 2024, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed an agreement on the creation of a new international transport corridor that passes through these six countries and would open access to the Indian Ocean. At present, the development of this route is dependent upon the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and to Pakistan’s ports, yet work on this is still to commence.
As an alternative, later this month (March 2025), Russia and Pakistan will launch the first regular freight rail route, which has already been tested, and passes through Iran. Belarus is also expected to join this project.
