Pakistan to seek Belarus, Kazakhstan support for NSG membership

ISLAMABAD (News Desk): Pakistan will seek support from Belarus and Kazakhstan for its membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Tariq Fatemi is visiting Belarus and Kazakhstan from August 23-27 as special envoy of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The Special Assistant will hand over letters from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed to President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan.

In his letters, the Prime Minister has underscored the need for the NSG to adopt a non-discriminatory approach on the question of the membership for non-NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty) states in order to promote strategic stability in South Asia and strengthen global non-proliferation regime.

Besides a call on the Belarusian President, Fatemi will hold meet Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei, Deputy Foreign Minister Valentin Rybakov and Minister of Industry Vitali Vovk.

In Kazakhstan, the Special Assistant is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov and Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan M. Ashikbayev.