PM to fly to Moscow tomorrow

This is first such trip by a Pakistani leader in two decades

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan will fly to Moscow this week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Islamabad confirmed on Monday – the first such trip by a Pakistani leader in two decades.

The two-day visit, starting on Wednesday (February 23), was planned before the current crisis over Ukraine.

"During the summit meeting, the two leaders will review the entire array of bilateral relations including energy cooperation," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

They will also have wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues, including Islamophobia and the situation in Afghanistan, the statement added.

In an interview published on Monday, the prime minister played down the timing of the visit, and any effect it would have on Pakistan's relations with the West.

Read: Gas pipeline projects among PM’s Russia visit agenda

"This visit was planned well before the emergence of the current phase of Ukrainian crisis ... I received the invitation from President Putin much earlier," he said in the interview.

Bilateral summit will be the highlight of the visit of the prime minister, who will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including the members of his cabinet.

Pakistan and Russia enjoy friendly relations marked by mutual respect, trust and convergence of views on a range of international and regional issues.

The visit of the prime minister will contribute to further deepening of the multifaceted Pakistan-Russia bilateral relations and enhancement of mutual cooperation in diverse fields, it added.