Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to deepen economic and strategic cooperation, pledging to expand collaboration in commerce, energy and defence.
During their meeting on the sidelines of multilateral engagements in Beijing, PM Shehbaz underscored that Pakistan-Russia relations had gained momentum after their last interaction in Astana at the SCO Summit. He pointed out that bilateral trade saw a notable spike last year as Pakistan imported oil from Russia, pushing up overall trade volumes.
The prime minister said both sides had since witnessed a “flurry of high-level visits” and signed protocols covering agriculture, iron and steel, energy, and transport. He particularly highlighted the importance of a trade corridor running from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan into Pakistan, which he described as a vital route for regional connectivity and prosperity.
Expressing his satisfaction, PM Shehbaz said that bilateral ties were moving in the right direction and thanked President Putin for supporting Pakistan, terming Russia’s role “a balancing act in the region.” He added that while Pakistan respected Moscow’s ties with India, it sought equally strong relations with Russia, which he viewed as “supplementary and complementary” to regional progress.
President Putin, recalling his last meeting with PM Shehbaz in Astana a year earlier, reaffirmed that Pakistan remained a traditional partner for Russia in Asia. He acknowledged that bilateral trade still needed to be scaled up and stressed the importance of taking concrete steps to address this challenge.
The Russian president also conveyed his condolences over the devastation caused by recent flooding in Pakistan and expressed optimism that under PM Shehbaz’s leadership, the country would overcome its difficulties.
Both leaders welcomed ongoing inter-parliamentary cooperation and coordination at the United Nations, where Pakistan currently serves as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. President Putin extended an invitation to the prime minister to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government Summit in Russia this November, which PM Shehbaz accepted.
Members of the two countries’ delegations were present at the meeting.
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