Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with the foreign minister of Belarus Sergei Aleinik on Wednesday and said Islamabad greatly values its cordial and broad-based relations with Minsk.

According to a statement issued by the prime minister’s office, Sharif affirmed Pakistan’s commitment towards building mutually beneficial cooperation with Belarus in all areas, including economic, agriculture, science and technology, information technology, education, and culture domains.

Aleinik in turn highlighted that Belarus regarded Pakistan as an important country in the region and appreciated its efforts to promote regional peace and stability.

Noting that Pakistan and Belarus would be commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2024, the prime minister welcomed continued high-level exchanges and engagement.

Following an agreement between Kabul and Islamabad, an unofficial gate has been opened only for trucks in the Wesh-Chaman border crossing area of Spin Boldak district.

Traders in Kandahar say that the opening of this gate has provided them with more facilities because in the past, due to heavy traffic, they could not deliver commercial goods to the markets in a timely fashion.

Hundreds of trucks cross the border in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar daily.

The move comes at the suggestion of traders who asked for an extra gate so as to speed up border crossings for cargo trucks.

“We had a gate on the border with Pakistan, but due to the traffic congestion, our transit vehicles were waiting for four to five hours, and now our business has also improved, so the traders from both sides talked and based on their agreement, this new gate is opened,” said Mohammad Sediq, the head of the Chamber of Commerce of Spin Boldak.

Afghan and Pakistani drivers expressed their satisfaction with the creation of this gate and say that it has become easier for them to cross the border.

“Earlier there were congestion problems on the road, now the problems have been solved and there is no problem in our commuting and it is secure,” said Abdul Jabbar, one truck driver.

The residents of Spin Boldek district have also welcomed the move and said the extra gate will boost trade between the two countries.

“I think that if the problems of traders in Spin Boldak are solved and facilities are provided for them, people will be encouraged to trade more and those who have gone abroad or transfer their business abroad will be encouraged and will come back again, and Spin Boldek’s income will also increase,” said Kamaluddin, a resident of Spin Boldak.

In the past traders have had enormous problems with long delays at the border. For traders transporting fresh fruit and vegetables this had become a serious problem. With the new gate, traders hope there will now be no long delays.

Pakistan and Russia have launched a direct shipping service, for their first time in their bilateral trade history, which Islamabad and Moscow hope will boost trade ties between the two countries.

On Saturday, following an inauguration ceremony, a cargo ship carrying 36,000 tons of goods left Karachi port for St Petersburg. The ship is expected to arrive in the Russian port city in 18 days.

Later this week, a tanker carrying Russian crude oil is expected to reach Karachi.

Pakistan’s minister of state for petroleum and energy, Musaddik Malik, told the media that this is the first direct shipping line between the two countries.

“We want to make it clear Pakistan is not in anyone’s camp. We try to do trade with the USA, we are told we are in the USA camp. We do business with China, we are told we have aligned with China. The truth is we are only doing what is in the interest of Pakistan,” Malik said.

“We are only trying to get cheap oil for our energy needs from Russia,” he said.