Bilateral cooperation: ‘Current phase of relations is promising’

ISLAMABAD:

The relationship between Pakistan and Russia has had many ups and downs but recently there has been evidence of increased ties following frequency of high level official meetings and delegation exchanges between the two countries.

This was the crux of a talk given by Russian Ambassador Alexey Yurievich Dedov on Pak-Russia relations on Thursday. He was speaking at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) under its ‘Ambassador’s Platform’ series.

The ambassador said that Russia attaches particular importance to cooperation with Pakistan in framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – a body that has gained much credibility and is rapidly evolving into a key element of regional security architecture.

Dedov said that leaders of the two countries will be meeting again this year in Tashkent on this platform. The ambassador emphasised that enhancement of trade and economic cooperation with Pakistan is high on Moscow’s agenda. While trade between the two countries has taken a dive, both countries should work extensively on improving this situation, he said.

He highlighted the role of Intergovernmental Commission on trade, economics, scientific and technical cooperation between Russia and Pakistan, which is working hard to build business ties between the two countries.

The ambassador underlined the importance of on-going construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline from Karachi to Lahore and dubbed it a very important step in relations between the two countries.

Earlier, ISSI Director General Masood Khan stated that Pakistan and Russia have always shared a desire to come close to each other despite their troubled history. He said that following the many initiatives by leadership of both countries, the current phase of relations was very promising and encouraging.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 18^th, 2016.