Russian wants to strengthen relations with Pakistan:Russian Ambassador Alexey Dedov

Lahore: Pakistan’s relations with Russia are pivotal for peace in the region and for strengthening Pakistan’s economy.

This was stated by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman, Senate Defence Committee during a meeting with the new Russian Ambassador Alexey Dedov, who called on him at the Parliament House.

During the meeting, which was held in a cordial atmosphere, Senator Mushahid Hussain appreciated the positive role of President Putin in promoting peace in Syria and preventing another war in the region against Iran, since Russian diplomacy played a crucial role in defusing both these crisis.

However, Senator Mushahid Hussain expressed his reservations and concern over the situation in the Crimea, underlying that Pakistan has a strong commitment to uphold UN Charter & international law, and abiding by international norms that forbid any change of established borders through force.

For his part, the Russian Ambassador expressed strong desire of his government to strengthen relations with Pakistan in the field of politics, security and narcotics, defence, economy and culture. He said that the Russian side has proposed the last quarter of 2014 for the meeting of the Pakistan-Russia Joint Ministerial Commission in Moscow and he also stated Pakistan’s Ministers for Defence and Petroleum will be soon visiting Moscow to discuss bilateral cooperation.

Senator Mushahid Hussain welcomed these developments and said that Pakistan and Russia should have a close, cooperative relationship since we do not have any fundamental conflict of interest between Islamabad and Moscow. He also expressed hope that the rights of the 300,000 Tartar Muslims in Crimea would be protected, since they had already suffered in the past under Stalin who forcibly evicted them from their homeland.

Senator Mushahid Hussain also apprised the Russian Ambassador on the initiatives taken by the Senate Defence Committee on Cyber Security, including the establishment of a Cyber Security Task Force and the introduction of a Cyber Security bill in the Senate which is now under consideration in the relevant parliamentary committee.