Russian President Vladimir Putin has restated Moscow’s interest in strengthening its relationship with Pakistan, emphasizing the importance of expanding collaboration across various sectors. This message was conveyed during a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Beijing.
Speaking at the event, President Putin said that Russia enjoys excellent relations with Pakistan and looks forward to further strengthening their bilateral ties. He acknowledged that Pakistan is currently facing a natural disaster and expressed sorrow over the devastation caused by the recent floods. President Putin noted that their previous meeting was about a year ago, also on the sidelines of an SCO summit in Astana. “Pakistan has always been Russia’s traditional partner in Asia, and it remains so. We greatly value these ties,” he said, adding that both leaders had agreed to intensify their bilateral relations. The president highlighted that their bilateral trade needs to be enhanced and urged taking steps to address this issue. He also mentioned that the two countries continue to cooperate at the inter-parliamentary level, adding that “Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and both countries were maintaining contact within the framework of the United Nations, which is an important platform.” He then extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to attend the SCO Summit in Russia in November.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to enhance relations with Russia, particularly in trade and other areas of cooperation. He stressed that Pakistan is keen to broaden its collaboration with Moscow across multiple sectors. The premier further emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to fostering regional peace, development, and prosperity. He expressed confidence that together, both countries would make efforts to promote their bilateral ties, especially in commerce and trade. The prime minister noted that last year, Pak-Russia bilateral trade saw a significant increase, as Pakistan imported oil from Russia, which boosted the trade volume.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also shared that following their meeting in Astana, both countries witnessed a series of high-level delegation visits, and they also signed protocols to promote the agriculture, iron, steel, energy, and transport sectors. He also highlighted the significance of the trade corridor connecting Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, which would stimulate regional connectivity and prosperity. Expressing his satisfaction, he stated that both sides were keenly committed to building their relations. The prime minister also expressed gratitude to the Russian president for supporting Pakistan, which he viewed as “a balancing act in the region.” He said that Pakistan respects the Russian Federation’s ties with India but also seeks to build very strong, complementary relations with Russia. He expressed that these beneficial ties would contribute to the progress and prosperity of the region and assured President Putin of close cooperation, noting that he had found him to be “a dynamic leader.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz arrived in Beijing from Tianjin by bullet train after attending the 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). He was received by Wang Hong, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, at the South Railway Station in Beijing. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi were also part of the premier’s delegation.
Earlier in the day, PM Shehbaz held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where both leaders reaffirmed their strong resolve to further deepen and strengthen the bilateral partnership founded on strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China. “Pakistan is very proud of China’s achievements,” the premier said, adding that Pakistan will always be ready to work with China on this great journey.
President Xi, in turn, reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to stand by Pakistan in all areas of economic growth. “Focus is being placed on Pakistan’s most important economic sectors,” President Xi told PM Shehbaz, adding that the CPEC had entered its second phase.
