PM Kakar, Russian President Vladimir Putin agree to foster bilateral ties

BEIJING: In a significant diplomatic rendezvous, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

The meeting featured discussions on bilateral relations, mutual interests and the exchange of ideas on a range of subjects.

In the meeting held on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum, both leaders underscored the vital importance of bolstering economic prosperity within the region.

President Putin highlighted Russia’s commitment to global food security and expressed a keen interest in expanding cooperation with Pakistan across various sectors.

Meeting with Russian President @KremlinRussia_E https://t.co/1IPCAg2iCA

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

Notably, he said, Russia has initiated a project to provide free grain to some of the world’s poorest African nations.

Recognizing the significance of peace and stability in Afghanistan, both Pakistan and Russia pledged to collaborate on fostering a secure environment in the war-torn nation.

The two nations have maintained a harmonized stance against terrorism, emphasizing the need to counter this menace effectively.

The discussions also revolved around Russia’s inclination to welcome Pakistani investors in various energy sectors.

Both nations expressed a strong determination to boost relations across different domains and extend their collaboration.

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Kakar said Pakistan and Russia had a convergence of interests on the issue of terrorism and called for enhanced cooperation and a common approach among the neighboring countries of Afghanistan.

He said the neighboring countries should be the foremost to take the initiative and cooperate in the fields of intelligence, defence and counter-terrorism.

Coming to bilateral cooperation, Prime Minister Kakar said Pakistan was an energy-deficient country of 240 million population. Pakistan’s energy minister had recently attended an Energy Week event in Russia where he had “fruitful and constructive engagement with the Russian team.

The Russian team had come up with concrete proposals for enhancing energy cooperation, he added. Citing his previous visit to Russia as senator, the prime minister said he was “mesmerized” by the Russian architecture particularly representing Christianity and churches.

He said both countries were also close in terms of cultural and ethical values which were not popular beyond that region. PM Kakar, Putin discuss ways to enhance bilateral, regional cooperation.

In his remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Pakistan and Russia celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.

Citing friendly bilateral relations, he said there existed a huge potential for cooperation between Pakistan and Russia.

President Putin said both sides would exchange views and discuss the vision and steps needed to be taken to strengthen cooperation in multiple areas. He said trade relations between the two countries had increased and this year, Russia had supplied around a million tons of cereals to Pakistan. Additional input from APP