MOSCOW: The meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held and two leaders discussed matters of bilateral relations and other important matters.
The one-on-one three-hour-long meeting comes amid the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
PM Imran Khan also discussed issues including economic cooperation hours after a number of Western nations hit Russia with new sanctions for its military deployment into parts of eastern Ukraine.
The two leaders reviewed the entire array of bilateral relations including economic and energy cooperation, particularly the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline.
The regional situation including the developing scenario of Ukraine also came under discussion.
PM Imran Khan arrived in Moscow on a two-day official visit yesterday, where he was received at the airport by Russia’s deputy foreign minister and presented with a guard of honor at the airport.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met his Russian Counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, and discussed important regional and global issues including Pakistan-Russia bilateral relations, enhancing cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
In the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations between Pakistan and Russia.
Talking to his Russian Counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Pakistan attaches special importance to bilateral relations with Russia, adding that their bilateral ties have gradually strengthened.
The foreign minister said that Pakistan is pursuing the agenda of promoting economic priorities and regional ties under the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov congratulated Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Pakistani leadership on the successful conduct of extraordinary OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan.
The Russian foreign minister also expressed best wishes regarding upcoming meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad next month.
Earlier today, PM Imran Khan laid a floral wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a war memorial dedicated to Soviet soldiers killed during World War II. The national anthems of Pakistan and Russia were played on the occasion as the prime minister observed a moment of silence in respect for the fallen troops.
PM Imran Khan visit to Moscow is the first bilateral trip by a Pakistani prime minister after two decades, PM Imran Khan has been accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the members of his cabinet.
The premier will also meet with the Russian president to review the entire array of bilateral relations including energy cooperation, a statement from the Foreign Office said. “They will also have a wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues, including Islamophobia and the situation in Afghanistan,” the statement added.
Minister Hammad Azhar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Asad Umar, Abdul Razak Dawood, Moeed Yousuf and others are accompanying the premier during the visit.
This is the first bilateral visit by a Pakistani prime minister to Russia after a gap of 23 years and is being termed as a historic step to renew relations between the two countries.
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