Kakar, Putin talk bilateral ties, ME crisis

Russian president says huge potential exists for cooperation between two countries

ISLAMABAD:

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing and discussed with him key regional and international issues as well as the bilateral ties with special focus on trade, investment, and energy.

This was Kakar’s first meeting with the Russian president since he was appointed as the caretaker prime minister in August.

Relations between Pakistan and Russia have been at the centre of the country’s domestic politics for the last couple of years.

The meeting indicated that Pakistan continued to seek broader ties with all big powers. Prime Minister Kakar is in Beijing to attend the third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jingping.

According to the Prime Minister Office, the two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation and expressed satisfaction with the steady expansion of Pakistan-Russia relations.

Opening remarks during bilateral meeting with the delegation of the Russian Federation led by President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of 3rd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/cZ12ZyORbl

— Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (@anwaar_kakar) October 17, 2023

The leaders exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the evolving situation in the Middle East.

They also discussed the prospects of enhancing Eurasian connectivity and Pakistan’s pivotal role in regional integration through rail, road, and energy corridors.

Kakar stressed the need for enhanced regional integration for economic development of the entire region.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further expanding and strengthening bilateral cooperation with Russia in the areas of trade and investment, energy, connectivity and counterterrorism.

Citing the friendly bilateral relations, President Putin said there existed a huge potential for cooperation between the two countries.

He noted that trade relations between the two countries had expanded and this year, Russia had supplied around one million tons of cereals to Pakistan.

Also in Beijing, Prime Minister Kakar met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

During the meeting, both sides expressed deep concern over the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza caused by the ongoing Israeli attacks and called for immediate cessation of hostilities by Israel.

The two leaders called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to provide aid to the besieged people of Gaza; and a two-state solution, resulting in the establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital.

Kakar emphasised the need for working together to fight poverty and promote economic growth and development for the benefit of the entire region.

Read More: Putin views Pakistan as ‘key partner in South Asia’

He also expressed his desire to promote peace and enhance connectivity through regional cooperation.

While noting that Pakistan and Sri Lanka were facing broadly similar economic challenges, the two leaders agreed that the authorities concerned on both sides would remain in contact to exchange experiences and best practices in areas such as privatisation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

President Wickremesinghe thanked the prime minister for conveying warm sentiments on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan.

He agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties and continue the long-standing cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Also, Prime Minister Kakar, in an exclusive interview with China Daily, lauded China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for inclusive development to reduce poverty and inequality.

He said the BRI was vital to improving people's ability to pay taxes and enhance governments' capacity to retire debts.

PM Kakar, Russian President Vladimir Putin discuss ways to enhance bilateral, regional cooperation on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum (Beijing) on October 17th, 2023: PHOTO: APP

Kakar described the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a flagship project of the BRI – as a practical manifestation of a win-win cooperation between the two countries for their shared prosperity.
He dismissed theories that the BRI had led the participating countries into debt traps.

“China is offering a unique mechanism of development financing to developing countries,” he said.

“CPEC has brought $25.4 billion direct investment to Pakistan and created 236,000 jobs. It underlines an excellent example of an open, coordinated, and inclusive development paradigm.”

Meanwhile, the prime minister assured provision of foolproof safety and security to the Chinese personnel and institutions working in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan had put in place stringent security protocols to safeguard Chinese workers.

The security measures, according to the newspaper, included regular security briefings, risk assessment, and information exchanges between the two nations in order to identify potential threats and coming up with solutions accordingly.

On the occasion, a copy of the People's Daily China was presented to the prime minister by Xu Wei from the political desk of the newspaper.

Sharing a video of it on social media platform X, the prime minister said it was a “testament to the shared understanding and bonds between our nations”.

Read More: Putin offers ‘blank cheque’ to Pakistan

The prime minister also held an interactive session with a delegation of Chinese think tanks and scholars. He expressed Pakistan's strong commitment to elevate the transformative nature of CPEC to make it a true game-changer.

“The next phase of CPEC should seek a deeper integration of our economies with focus on diversification and innovation,” he said. “Pakistan aspires to learn from the Chinese model to build its industrial parks and special economic zones,” he added.

“Pakistan is already working to ramp up the share of renewables in its energy mix to as much as 65% by 2030,” the prime minister told the delegation, inviting the Chinese companies to invest in solar parks in Pakistan.

“We will welcome new partners who wish to join us in drawing benefits from the CPEC.”

Kakar stressed that both China and Pakistan were determined to make Gwadar a hub for regional connectivity that would facilitate cross-regional trade, including between the Central Asia and the Middle East.

In their remarks, Chinese academics and scholars reaffirmed the continued interest of Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan's special economic zones and to contribute to the further growth of CPEC, enhanced regional connectivity and sustainable development.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Kakar attended the state banquet at the iconic Great Hall of the People hosted by President Xi in honour of world leaders participating in the BRF. The prime minister was accompanied by senior members of the federal cabinet.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)