AE-Belarus services and investment pact is in force

The UAE’s services and investment pact with Belarus came into force yesterday, more than a year after it was signed in Minsk in June 2025, state news agency Wam reports. The agreement opens Belarusian market access to UAE firms in financial services, consulting, healthcare, education, tech, and logistics, and adds protections for investors on both sides. It sits alongside the UAE's goods-focused trade pact with the Eurasian Economic Union, of which Belarus is a member, and which also came into effect this week.

The starting base is small: Non-oil trade between the two countries came to USD 316.4 mn last year, and USD 268 mn of that was re-exports. Direct UAE exports totaled just USD 3 mn. Trade in 1H 2026 stood at only USD 67.4 mn, which puts this year on track to come in well below 2025.