Pakistan and Belarus have agreed to hold the next session of the Pakistan-Belarus Joint Economic Commission (JEC) at the earliest to boost bilateral economic engagement. This was agreed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who met on the sidelines of the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on Thursday. CICA is an intergovernmental process comprising 27 countries from all across Asia. Established in 1992, it focuses on promoting peace, security, and socio-economic development in the Asian continent. Pakistan is one of its founding members. CICA offers an invaluable platform for advancing the objectives of regional stability and prosperity through dialogue and win-win cooperation. During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed ongoing bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, said a statement issued by the PM’s Office. Shehbaz Sharif expressed Pakistan’s desire to further strengthen friendly ties between Pakistan and Belarus by broadening interaction in all possible areas of cooperation. While discussing regional issues, both leaders reiterated a mutual desire to promote peace, stability and cooperation. President Lukashenko said that Belarus would provide all possible support for the rehabilitation of people affected by the climate-induced floods, that had caused unprecedented devastation in Pakistan. The two leaders had earlier met on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand on 15th September 2022. Two leadership-level interactions in a month reflect the keen desire on both sides to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in diverse areas.