ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia on Tuesday agreed to activate the counter-terrorism dialogue between the two countries.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Russian Ambassador Albert P Khorev in Islamabad, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior.
During the meeting, bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest were discussed in detail. They also agreed to increase the exchange of delegations to strengthen mutual ties.
According to the ministry, both sides also decided to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism and anti-narcotics efforts between the two countries.
The Russian ambassador invited Pakistani officials to participate in anti-narcotics training programs in Moscow and Siberia.
Speaking on the occasion, the interior minister said terrorism was an international challenge and collective efforts were required to overcome it.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening relations with Russia and emphasised that there are vast opportunities for bilateral cooperation in various sectors.
Last year in Oct, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a substantive meeting with Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin, who arrived in Islamabad to attend the 23rd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Both sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation and noted the positive momentum in Pakistan-Russia relations over the last two decades.
PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening political, economic, and defense ties with the Russian Federation. He also thanked Russia for supporting Pakistan’s BRICS membership bid, marking a step toward deeper collaboration on the global stage.
He recalled his productive meeting with President Vladimir Putin in July this year in Astana during the course of which they had agreed to meaningful enhancement of relations between the two countries. He also emphasized on the need of direct flights between Russia and Pakistan for enhanced connectivity between the two countries.
The two prime ministers agreed to maintain close cooperation on all areas of mutual interest. Both leaders also agreed on lingual exchanges among the two countries to enhance people to people relations and an increased cooperation among the banking sectors of the two countries to facilitate trade and investment.
— With additional input from APP
