MOSCOW: Pakistani and Russian Foreign Ministers in joint press talk here vowed to intensify bilateral cooperation in areas of trade, economy, security, counter-terrorism, defence, as well as cultural, educational and people to people contacts.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who is on official tour of Russia said in joint presser said that strengthening relations with Russia remains an important priority for Pakistan. He said we believe that Pak-Russia relations not only serve our national interests, but also contribute to regional, global stability and security.

Foreign Minister said Pakistan views Russia as an important player in West-South and Central Asia. He said Pakistan and Russia have good cooperation on Afghanistan and we aim to continue cooperation with Russia in realising common goals of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Bilawal Bhutto said we discussed bilateral cooperation at multilateral fora and have firm belief that all conflicts can be resolved peacefully and there are no obstacles, which diplomacy cannot surmount and Ukrainian conflict is no exception. He said developing countries like Pakistan are facing negative consequences in terms of economic impact of this conflict. He expressed confidence that strong tradition of diplomacy of Russian state will help achieve peaceful resolution of conflict.

He thanked Sergey Lavrov for inviting him to visit Russia and reiterated Islamabad’s commitment in deepening relations with Moscow. Sergey Lavrov said Pakistan and Russia will continue their efforts for peace in region. He said both countries have convergence of views on many regional and international issues. Russian Foreign Minister said elimination of terrorism from region is directly linked with Afghanistan and we have agreed to use capacities of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation especially its contact group on Afghanistan for this purpose.     

Condemning terrorist attack in Peshawar masjid, Sergei Lavrov stressed that fight against terrorism should be more active all over world without any double standards.

Expressing satisfaction over current status of military cooperation between two countries, he said we will continue to support regular military contacts including joint exercises, military training and anti-terrorism capacities. He said we have also planned to build humanitarian, cultural and educational links.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 31 2023

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