Pakistan and Russia on Thursday pledged to boost economic ties and coordinate efforts to fight terror, as the Kremlin welcomed the Pakistani president for a key visit after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Asif Ali Zardari was making the first official visit by a Pakistani (civilian) leader since the fall of the Soviet Union.
“We are interested in coordinating our efforts on the international arena. It is obvious that our countries are facing absolutely the same threat, I mean international terrorism,” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Zardari at the Kremlin. Zardari expressed hope his historic visit would help deepen ties between the two countries which share a complicated history.
“Our countries are very close neighbours. We are located in the same region. And although we do not share borders our hearts beat in unison,” Zardari said. “The time has come to acknowledge the importance of our countries for each other and the importance of regional cooperation and to also ramp up economic and political joint work,” he said.
