Pakistan, Russia agree to take bilateral ties to new level

Astana : Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit wherein both the leaders reaffirmed their desire to take the bilateral relations to the next level by enhancing cooperations in multiple spheres.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, including trade and economic cooperation, and also current international issues.

Vladimir Putin congratulated Nawaz Sharif on Pakistan’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

They agreed that there was a healthy growth in the relations between two sides and that the high-level interactions and cordial political relations had set the stage for translating political goodwill into a substantive economic partnership.

They viewed that current state of relations between Pakistan and Russia was characterized by mutual trust, commonality of interest, better understanding and convergence of views on important issues like regional security, combating terrorism, drug tracking and greater economic cooperation.

Both sides were also working closely to further expand cooperation in educational and cultural fields.

They agreed to work on concrete proposals for the next session of Pakistan-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation which will take place in Moscow in December this year.

It was also noted that the Joint Working Group on Energy was an appropriate mechanism to reinforce existing cooperation in energy sector. The strong interest of Russian companies and enterprises in the energy sector of Pakistan was also highlighted.

Russia is already engaged in installation of LPG Air Mix Plants in Pakistan and establishment of a 600MW combined cycle power plant at Jamshoro.

Both leaders agreed to fast-track the implementation of North-South Gas Pipeline, the agreement for which was signed in October 2015 between two sides.

The two sides also reviewed defence relations during recent years.

The first-ever Pakistan-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘Friendship 2016’ was seen as a manifestation of growing defense and counter- terrorism cooperation which could contribute towards promoting peace and stability in South and Central Asian regions.

The two sides also benefited from the joint counter-narcotics naval exercise ‘Arabian Monsoon’ in the Arabian Sea in October 2014 and December 2015 respectively.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin said : Mr Prime Minister, colleagues. I am glad that we met for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.

I would like to congratulate you once again on Pakistan’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Russian-Pakistani relations have been constructive and mutually beneficial. Pakistan is an important partner for Russia in South Asia. Our relations are developing in many areas, and our trade has increased, even if only by a few percentage points. Of course, we are able to do much more than we are doing now.

I am glad to have this opportunity to discuss all aspects and of our cooperation and its prospects.

Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif said : Thank you Mr President. I am honoured to meet you once again. We had a lovely meeting in Ufa. I have very fond memories of my meeting with you and was looking forward to meeting you again. And thank you very much for spending your time today.

We are grateful to you, Mr President, and the Russian Federation for supporting our full membership in the SCO. While in Ufa we did agree on improving our bilateral trade, there is improvement but not the level that we agreed upon. It has been always my endeavour to build and strengthen our relationship and I am continuing to strive for that.