Moscow not mulling to join CPEC: Russian foreign ministry

Rebuttal comes after reports claiming Russia and Pakistan held 'secret' talks for ties in the mega project


News Desk November 29, 2016
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets PM Nawaz Sharif on his arrival at the 7th BRICS summit. PHOTO: PID

The Russian foreign ministry has refuted media reports which said Pakistan and Russia have held ‘secret negotiations’ for cooperation in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.



Reports last week claimed that the Russian spy chief had made a visit to Pakistan to inspect the Gwadar port.

“The Pakistani media reports about “secret negotiations” between Russia and Pakistan on the implementation of projects as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are not true to the facts,” the statement of Russian Information and Press Department read.

Russia, Pakistan cooperate in agriculture, energy

“Moscow is not discussing the possibility of joining this project with Islamabad."

The corridor is about 3,000-kilometre long consisting of highways, railways and pipelines that will connect China’s Xinjiang province to the rest of the world through Gwadar port.

The Russian government, however, said it would strengthen economic ties with Pakistan as cooperation between both countries has inherent values.

“Russian companies are implementing business projects in Pakistan, including the planned construction of the North-South gas pipeline from Karachi to Lahore, on a bilateral basis.”

COMMENTS (5)

Haji Atiya | 7 years ago | Reply @Mrs. Pasha: @Pakistani-Khi: Look, Russia, with seaports on both the eastern and western hemispheres has no need to join some rinky-tink project that was designed mainly to expand China's geostrategic presence while further enriching the current leadership in Pakistan.
FAZ | 7 years ago | Reply @Shri: So Pakistan is isolated?
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