Pakistan prime minister meets Russian president to strengthen bilateral ties, expand energy cooperation

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News February 25, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Pakistan Prime Minister visited Moscow on a two-day working trip on February 23-24 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting between the two leaders came at a time when Russia was conducting its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.

The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders took place in the Kremlin where both sides expressed their confidence in the positive trajectory of the bilateral relations between Russia and Pakistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Khan also reaffirmed his commitment to the Pakistan-Stream Gas pipeline project that would act as the flagship project between Russia and Pakistan. The three hours long meeting between the two leaders was also focused on discussing several issues of regional importance including the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Khan urged the Russian President to continue his support towards pushing the international community for a stable and sustainable peace in Afghanistan in order to diminish a rising threat of a severe humanitarian crisis.

*^{Russian President Vladimir Putin with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Moscow, on February 24, 2022. (Image Credit: Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office/Twitter)}*

The two leaders underscored the importance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the role that it can play for peace and stability in the South Asian region.

While addressing the Ukraine conflict, the Pakistani prime minister regretted the ongoing situation between Russia and Ukraine, while stressing that the conflict is not in anyone’s interest, and hoped that diplomacy could avert the military conflict.

During the meeting, both President Putin and Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed their concerns on the rising trend of extremism and Islamophobia in the world. Khan appreciated Russian President Putin’s understating of the matter and acknowledged his efforts to highlight the issue on a global scale.

*^{Pakistani Prime Minister Khan receiving a guard of honor at the tomb of unknown soldiers in Moscow on February 24, 2022. (Image Credit: Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office/Twitter)}*

During his two days working visit to Moscow, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also met with the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and the Pakistani-Russian business community. During these engagements, he stressed that the two countries should emphasize future economic cooperation. He stated that Pakistan is a market of more than 220 million people that holds a huge opportunity for trade and investment.

During his visit, the Pakistani prime minister was accompanied by several of his cabinet members including the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi who met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines.

^{Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi held delegation-level talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 24, 2022. (Image Credit: Pakistan Press Information Department)}

The two ministers discussed matters of regional importance and pursued the agenda of bilateral economic cooperation in the fields of oil & gas energy as well as construction and development.