Islamabad:
The Vice Primer Russian Minister, Alexei Overchuk, has declared that Pakistan and Russia are “natural allies” and that President Putin considers Pakistan as an important partner in the growth and development of economy and energy in the region.
Overchuk expressed these points of view on Thursday at a meeting with a Pakistani delegation of high power directed by Prime Minister’s Special Assistant (SAPM) on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi in Moscow.
SAPM on industries and production Harooon Akhtar Khan, which is also the focal person for the Pakistan Steel Mills project, also was part of the delegation.
During the meeting, the two parties reviewed the entire range of bilateral relations in all areas of mutual interest, including political, commercial and economic cooperation, as well as energy, connectivity, industrial and agricultural cooperation.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan and Russia agreed to continue mutual cooperation in different fields, including the political, commercial and economic and energy sector.
SAPM Fatemi stressed that Pakistan gave great importance to his relations with the Russian Federation, adding that strengthening relations with the latter was one of Pakistan’s foreign policy priorities. He said that Pakistan saw Russia as a stabilizing factor in the international arena.
“President Putin was looking forward to his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the next SCO-counsel of heads of state in Tianjin, China, at the end of August of this year,” said the vice-first Russian minister Alexei Overchuk during the meeting.
SAPM Akhtar declared that Pakistan gave great importance to the ongoing discussions on the new steel factories in Karachi, since the project carries an important legacy of Pakistan’s relations with Russia, which could serve as a symbol of “leap forward” of future cooperation and association.
In 1956, Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Bulganin offered technical and scientific assistance to Pakistan, then Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and expressed interest in establishing the first steel factories in the country.
The SAPM gave an overview of the friendly industrial policy with the investment of Pakistan, which had ensured macroeconomic stability, achieved under the current government.
During the meeting, DPM Overchuk, who was assisted by key ministers, recalled his visit to Pakistan in September 2024 and his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, regardless of the Government Houses in Islamabad in October 2024.
He also highlighted the importance of important connectivity projects between two countries, such as rail connectivity between Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Russia, and the launch of the pilot cargo train between Pakistan and Russia in August 2025.
The two parties also mentioned the regional and international problems, such as the situation in southern Asia, Afghanistan and the Middle East, as well as bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Russia in all multilateral forums.
The visit of the two SAPMs was deeply appreciated by Overchuk, who emphasized that President Putin was strongly in favor of greater deepening of Pakistan cooperation in all important sectors. Application (with news desktop information)
