Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov calls on Pakistan PM Khan

Mr. Khan reiterated his invitation to President Putin to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

Published - April 07, 2021 05:50 pm IST - Islamabad

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. File

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. File

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday called on Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who expressed satisfaction at the steady growth in bilateral ties in diverse fields with Moscow.

Mr. Lavrov, the first Russian foreign minister to visit Pakistan since 2012, discussed bilateral relations and issues of regional and global importance during his meeting with Mr. Khan.

Prime Minister Khan reiterated the importance Pakistan attaches to its relations with Russia as "a key foreign policy priority" and expressed satisfaction at the steady growth in bilateral ties, including deepening cooperation in trade, energy, security and defence, according to the Prime Minister’s Office here.

Mr. Khan recalled his interaction with President Vladimir Putin during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek in June 2019, where he had underscored his desire to take the bilateral relationship to a new level. He reiterated his invitation to President Putin to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

He stressed the importance of a negotiated political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan. "Pakistan appreciated Russia’s efforts in promoting the Afghan peace process including through the hosting of the recent meeting of Extended Troika in Moscow," Mr. Khan said.

Mr. Khan also reaffirmed Pakistan's resolve to expeditiously conclude the requisite legal process for the "Pakistan Stream" (North-South) Gas Pipeline project and commence the work as early as possible.

Enhanced bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, industrial modernisation, railways and aviation was also discussed. It was agreed that the Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC), due to meet in Moscow later this year, would closely pursue specific proposals and projects in this context.

Mr. Khan also exchanged views on the health and economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He congratulated Russia on its development of Sputnik-V vaccine and underscored Pakistan’s procurement plans.

With reference to the situation in Kashmir, Prime Minister Khan shared Pakistan’s perspective on issues of peace and security in South Asia, including the need for peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, his office said.

Views were also exchanged on situations in West Asia, the Gulf, and the Asia-Pacific region, it added.

The relations between Pakistan and Russia have come a long way from the Cold War hostility to current level cooperation and there is hope to further expand it in coming years.

Mr. Lavrov arrived here from India on Tuesday on a two-day official visit with the objective to deepen cooperation in different fields.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.