Ever since PM Imran Khan made his visit to China, there are reports that he will also visit Russia later this month. The media cited diplomatic sources and said PM Khan will visit Russia at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A high-level delegation of senior ministers from PM Khan’s cabinet will accompany him. The discussions between Pakistan and Russia will focus on enhancing cooperation in the spheres of economy, trade, defense, and energy. It is expected that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will soon release details on the visit later this month.
Interestingly, if PM Khan will visit Russia, then he will become the first Pakistani PM to visit Russia in more than 20 years. To clarify, the last time a Pakistani Prime Minister paid a bilateral visit to Russia was in 1999. In April 1999, then PM Nawaz Sharif paid an important state visit to Kremlin. Meanwhile, former president Asif Ali Zardari paid his last bilateral visit to Russia as President in 2011.
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Important to note, PM Khan and President Putin had multiple informal pull-aside meetings at different forums. They also frequently exchange phone calls. Last month, PM Khan held a telephonic conversation with President Putin on Monday and appreciated him for defending Prophet Muhammad.
Read more: On call, PM Khan thanks Putin for defending Prophet Muhammad
Taking to Twitter, PM Khan said Putin is the first Western leader who showed empathy and sensitivity towards Muslim sentiments for their Prophet.
PM Khan said they also discussed ways to move forward on trade and other mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and invited each other to visit their countries.
Pakistan’s strong relations with Russia
Pakistan and Russia share a strong relationship and often speak with one voice on multiple issues, for example, Afghanistan. During last year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) 20th summit meeting, Russia and Pakistan displayed a united front. Both Pakistan and Russia made similar demands to the Taliban for an exclusive government.
Read more: Putin and Imran Khan: Speaking with one voice on Afghanistan?
Furthermore, the two countries also significantly strengthened their political and economic relations over the past years despite the pandemic. In November 2021, Pakistan and Russia agreed to sign the Shareholders and Facilitation Agreements for the $3 billion Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline (PSGP) by February 15, 2022, on terms and conditions agreed earlier in May 28, 2021, July 15, 2021.
Additionally, the Russian side also showed a willingness to help Pakistan explore the mineral resource sector (Copper, Gold, Iron, Lead, and Zinc ores of Balochistan, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, and Punjab) and to this effect, Moscow will extend technical, economic cooperation and investment.