ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (APP):Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Khalid Hussain Magsi Tuesday said Pakistan attaches great importance to strengthening practical cooperation with Belarus in scientific research, technology, standards, Halal certification and market access. He expressed these views during a meeting with Ambassador of Belarus to Pakistan Andrei Metelitsa, which discussed bilateral cooperation in science and technology, joint research, standards, quality infrastructure and Halal certification. Federal Secretary for Science and …
Pakistan, Belarus strengthen cooperation in science, technology, standards and halal certification
ISLAMABAD, Aug 25 (APP):Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Khalid Hussain Magsi Tuesday said Pakistan attaches great importance to strengthening practical cooperation with Belarus in scientific research, technology, standards, Halal certification and market access.
He expressed these views during a meeting with Ambassador of Belarus to Pakistan Andrei Metelitsa, which discussed bilateral cooperation in science and technology, joint research, standards, quality infrastructure and Halal certification.
Federal Secretary for Science and Technology, Shahid Iqbal Baloch also attended the meeting.
The meeting reviewed ongoing cooperation under the Pakistan-Belarus Joint Commission on Science and Technology (JCST), established under the 2015 Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation.
The two sides also discussed joint calls for proposals launched under the JCST framework.
The Federal Minister directed the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) to initiate implementation and funding of two Pakistan-Belarus joint research projects under the matching grant mechanism.
He stressed that the projects should have clear milestones, monitoring mechanisms and designated researcher contact points to ensure effective implementation.
The meeting also reviewed cooperation between the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and the Belarusian State Institute for Standardization and Certification (BelGISS), aimed at reducing duplicate testing, lowering compliance costs, minimizing non-tariff barriers and facilitating faster market access.
The two sides discussed cooperation on Halal certification and agricultural product market access.
The Ministry of Science and Technology requested Belarus to provide a list of products proposed for Halal registration in Pakistan to advance certification and market access discussions.
They also discussed finalizing the list of proposed Halal products and expediting the joint technical assessment process to facilitate bilateral agricultural market access.
An internal review by PSQCA and BelGISS is underway to address financial and foreign-exchange fee structure issues before finalizing the standards dissemination agreement.
Ambassador Andrei Metelitsa appreciated Pakistan’s progress in communication and defence technology and expressed Belarus’s readiness to cooperate with Pakistan across all domains of science and technology.
He also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for global and regional peace.
