A Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov called on Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf at the Prime Minister’s House on Thursday afternoon and discussed matters of bilateral interest.
Expressing satisfaction over the meeting, the prime minister said that relations between Russia and Pakistan had seen good progress over the last few years, adding that there was consensus in Pakistan that bilateral relations should be further strengthened.
He said that relations with Russia were very important because of the federation’s linkages with Europe and Asia. He said that the two countries had similar views on several regional and international issues, including Afghanistan, Syria and the Security Council, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The prime minister told the visiting delegation that Pakistan wanted to enhance economic relations with Russia, and wanted to benefit from Russia’s expertise in the energy sector, particularly its experience in coal mining and construction of coal power plants. Similarly Pakistan seeks cooperation with the Russian Federation in expansion of Pakistan Steel Mills, he added. Ashraf also hoped for cooperation between the two countries to improve railways in Pakistan. The prime minister assured the Russian foreign minister that his government would extend all possible assistance to the Russian Federation in securing contracts in Pakistan and their execution. He hoped that the two countries would exchange parliamentary, business and cultural delegations to further strengthen the relations. In this connection he referred to the visit of National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza to Russia early next year. The Russian foreign minister conveyed President Vladimir Putin’s best wishes for President Asif Ali Zardari. He said that the inter-governmental commission between the two countries had been working to promote economic cooperation between the two countries. He further said that Russia attaches great importance to consultation with Pakistan and is looking forward to Pakistan’s participation in the next SCO Summit scheduled to be held in Kirghizstan.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, and several other senior officials.