Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Astana on Wednesday. They discussed expanding cooperation between Pakistan and Russia and various areas of mutual benefit, including trade, energy, defence, and security. This meeting occurred during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting. Prime Minister Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening the growing cooperation between the two countries.

People described the meeting as warm and cordial. The leaders discussed various topics, particularly trade and economic relations, energy, and important regional and global issues. According to Prime Minister Shehbaz, the current bilateral trade is around $1 billion, highlighting the potential for expansion by resolving financial and banking matters.

Prime Minister Shehbaz was in Astana to attend the SCO summits and expressed his pleasure in meeting President Putin again, recalling their previous interaction in Samarkand. He congratulated President Putin on his re-election and expressed hope for further progress in Russia under his leadership.

Emphasizing the value Pakistan attaches to its relationship with Russia, he expressed happiness with the consistent development of these ties rooted in mutual trust and understanding. He pointed out that bilateral relations had been on a constructive path for some years.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said he was ready to cooperate closely with President Putin to deepen bilateral relations. Expressing a desire to continue this collaboration, he praised the Russian government for providing oil cargo to Pakistan recently and admitted the advantages of President Putin’s expertise and leadership.
He stated that the long history of business partnerships between Pakistan and Russia remains unaffected by any geopolitical scenario. He remembered the barter relationship between Pakistan and Russia, which involved importing machinery from Russia and exporting leather and other goods throughout the 1950s and 1970s.

According to the statement, both sides decided to convene the Pakistan-Russia intergovernmental cooperation meeting in Moscow shortly.