Minsk intensifys contacts with Libya, Pakistan and Iran
In 2025 there was a crucial revival of contacts between the Belarusian authorities and east Libya, Pakistan and Iran. In February a visit to Minsk was made by the Libyan leader of Marshal Chalif Haftar, and in the following months the relation was deepened – in May, Deputy Prime Minister Wiktar Karankiewicz and Head of KGB Ivan Tertel arrived in Benghazi, and in late June a Libyan government delegation arrived in the capital of Belarus. In April the Prime Minister of Pakistan besides hosted there Shehbaz Sharif, and in August – president of Iran Masud Pezeszkaan. In all cases, talks were to focus on strengthening trade and investment ties.
Minsk's cooperation with Libya, Pakistan and Iran is nothing new. For years he has been part of 1 of the paradigms of his abroad policy – developing a non-European alternate to relations with Russia and the West. However, no of these countries are applicable trading or investment partners of Belarus. Regardless of authoritative rhetoric, the observed revival focuses on military cooperation and on safety issues, as indicated by participation in talks by representatives of defence and home affairs ministries and the KGB. These countries can be a origin of labour – the number of vacancies in Belarus reaches more than 200,000 – but migrants can besides be utilized to proceed force on the EU border.
Eastern Libya - Military cooperation and air link
The authoritative subject of Haftar's talks in Minsk were "humanitarian, social and economical cooperation issues". Among the gifts presented by Alaksandr Lukashenka at the time were miniature models of the tractor and bus, which was most likely expected to emphasize the economical profile of the visit. A akin subject was discussed during the next meetings: in March the Belarusian delegation concluded in Libya, six framework agreements on agriculture, manufacture and energy (including the exploitation of Libyan gas and oil deposits), in turn During the review in June, Libyans visited among others the capital tractors (MTZ) and trucks (MAZ).
Guests were besides curious in educating their citizens at Belarusian medical colleges and purchasing equipment for hospitals. No information was disclosed on the contracts signed, but a fast improvement in trade was announced – according to the latest available data from 2021, the value of Belarusian exports to Libya was only $4.2 million (import was not recorded).
More concrete findings have been made in non-economic cases. UVisa procedures were requested (the fees were waived, but the request for a Belarusian visa was maintained), and the KGB chief took part in the beginning of the Belarusian home in Benghazi, which could act as quasi-consulate. In early July, the heads of the MFA of both countries confirmed that they had discussed the conditions for operating a direct air connection. The frequency of flights (Belavia, Airbus A330-243 taking up to 268 passengers) is low (in May two, in June – four, in July – five, and in August – two) and the connections do not take into account the authoritative schedule.
Military cooperation is an crucial subject of bilateral talks. During the visit of the head of the defence department, Wiktar Chrenin Bengazi expressed interest in obtaining Minsk's support in the renovation of MiG-29 fighter aircraft, training of pilots and ground handling, spare parts supplies and developing cybersecurity capabilities. The issue of the engagement of the Belarusian side in the improvement of the military infrastructure of east Libya, including military bases and a naval base in Tobruk, was besides raised. According to the Haftara regime, the Vitebsk region presently trains 350 to 400 peculiar Forces of the East Libya Army. Supporting drones and producing components with 3D printers are an crucial part of the training. The remaining members of the erstwhile Wagner Group in Belarus participate in the project.
Pakistan – importer of military training, exporter of migrants?
During a April visit to Minsk, the head of government in Islamabad reported interest in importing agricultural, construction and bus equipment. The talks of the Prime Ministers were preceded by a business forum which discussed, among others, the increase in imports of Pakistani goods (including fruit and clothing). The Belarusian side did not hide its disappointment at the low level of trade – in 2024 they amounted to just over $50 million (or 0.06% of the full value of trade in Belarus).
A package of bilateral agreements signed by Sharif and Lukashenko at that time demonstrates the marginal importance of economical threads. These included, among others, readmission, cooperation of Home Affairs ministries in the fight against crime, common training of police authorities and anti-terrorism units, as well as military-technical cooperation. 2 months later in Islamabad, talks on the last of the topics were continued by the commander of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defence Andrei Lukjanovich, who discussed cooperation including pilot and method personnel training programs and technology transfer. The intensification of military contacts indicates another consultation in August, dedicated to planning bilateral military cooperation.
Cooperation in the area of labour migration is simply a separate issue, which is peculiarly crucial for Minsk. The government declares its interest in getting a skilled workforce from Pakistan to reduce the increasing labour marketplace deficit. In this context, during Prime Minister Sharif's visit, a direct air connection between the capitals of both countries was discussed. After subsequent meetings at the lower levels of Lukashenko in August accepted the bilateral cooperation memorandum in this area and authorised the MMA to sign the final agreement.
At the same time, there have been respective unconfirmed reports in the media of a drastic increase in the number of visa applications in the Belarusian consulate in Islamabad. At the end of August, the heads of the interior ministry of both countries stressed that prior to their departure to Belarus, Pakistani economical migrants would undergo a detailed inspection procedure. It is likely that their transfer will begin soon.
Iran – visa waiver and joint improvement of Shahed drones
The visit of the president of Iran was a demonstration of the ideological solidarity of Minsk and Tehran in common opposition to "unfair and discriminatory" Western sanctions. The leaders of both countries declared to be cooperating in the forums of global organisations, including the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (Belarus gained membership in 2024). The announcement of the signing of a strategical cooperation agreement was besides announced in the close future. The economical subject was raised at a very general level – the parties expressed interest in cooperation, among others, in agriculture, including the location of the Belarusian agricultural equipment assembly plant in Iran. Trade between Belarus and Iran remained low – in 2024 its value was only $13 million.
At the same time, the agreements concluded included a visa waiver agreement for tourists and the restoration of direct flights on the Minsk-Tehran-Minsk way (at least 3 per week). A key point of cooperation between the 2 countries is the military sphere. In November 2023, an interministerial committee on military cooperation began to work. In August, 2 years later, a cooperation agreement was signed in this field, including the exchange of technology and training (not disclosed details).
It can be assumed with a advanced degree of probability that Minsk and Tehran are cooperating on drone production technologies and radio-electronic combat systems. The Belarusian arms manufacture is curious in supporting Iran in the manufacture of non-manned combat drones modelled on shaheeds-136 in the Homl plant. In July 2024, the Belarusian army presented the combat drone Koczewnik, which is to be a copy of the Iranian machine. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Iran may anticipate method assistance in re-enacting air defence systems after fresh Israeli attacks. It is besides not excluded that Tehran wants to get the 122 mm ammunition produced in Belarus utilized by rocket artillery and to transfer part of the production of components utilized by the arms manufacture there.
Real dimension of cooperation
The talks between Minsk and Benghazi, Islamabad and Tehran clearly show that the precedence is bilateral military cooperation and cooperation in the arms sectors. Each of them sees Belarus as an attractive partner in the modernisation and maintenance of their weapons. The training component is notable, while the scope of cooperation in the area of safety with east Libya is de facto part of Russian support for the Haftara regime. Military contacts with Pakistan and Iran are most likely besides consulted with Moscow.
Publicly exposed economical threads are a smokescreen and play a marginal role. Although it cannot be excluded that there will be a recovery in selected industries (e.g. exports of Belarusian agricultural equipment), due to hard and costly logistics and the different characteristics of African and mediate east markets, it is hard to anticipate a crucial increase in investment or trade. akin problems happen in relations with another countries outside Europe (e.g. Nicaragua, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Indonesia), with which Belarus has been trying to activate cooperation in fresh years.
It draws the common attention of these contacts to the migration threads – the visa facilitation and air connections with Libya, Pakistan and Iran by the Belarusian side pose a hazard of intensifying the migration crisis in the border with the EU.
