Pakistan to intensify cooperation with Russia: Bilawal Bhutto

Islamabad: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Monday that Pakistan intends to intensify cooperation with Russia in areas of trade, economy, security, counter-terrorism, defence, as well as cultural, educational and people to people contacts.

Addressing a joint news conference, along with his Russian Counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, he said strengthening relations with Russia remains an important priority for Pakistan. He said Pakistan believes that Pak-Russia relations not only serve our national interests, but also contribute to regional, global stability and security.

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

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari 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 the 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 the confidence that the strong tradition of diplomacy of the Russian state will help achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

He thanked Sergey Lavrov for inviting him to visit Russia and reiterated Islamabad’s commitment in deepening relations with Moscow.

Addressing the joint press conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Pakistan and Russia will continue their efforts for peace in the region.

He said both countries have convergence of views on many regional and international issues.

The Russian Foreign Minister said elimination of terrorism from the region is directly linked with Afghanistan and we have agreed to use the capacities of Shanghai Cooperation Organization especially its contact group on Afghanistan for this purpose.