NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday expressed Pakistan’s desire for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia in diverse fields, emphasising the need for promoting trade and economic cooperation.
In a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergie Lavrov on the sidelines of the 72nd UNGA session in New York, the Pakistani foreign minister discussed mutual efforts for strengthening Pakistan-Russia relations and the prevailing international and regional security situation.
Lavrov suggested that the forthcoming intergovernmental commission should explore concrete measures for enhancing trade, investment and energy connectivity between Russia and Pakistan.
The two leaders also discussed the efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Lavrov extended invitation to Khawaja Asif to visit Moscow for bilateral consultations on strengthening bilateral relations and exchanging views about the international and regional issues.
Khawaja Asif also participated in the Informal Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), on the sidelines of the General Assembly session.
The meeting was hosted and chaired by the Nepalese foreign minister and was attended by the foreign ministers of the SAARC member states.
In his remarks, Khawaja Asif reiterated Pakistan’s full commitment to SAARC’s principles and objectives and highlighted the organisation’s potential in promoting progress and prosperity in South Asia through enhanced regional integration.
He also stressed that Pakistan considered SAARC an important platform for organising a collective response to regional challenges, particularly the region’s development needs.
Pakistan wants SAARC to utilise the full potential of the region and calls for constructive engagement towards this end, he said.