DNA
ISLAMABAD: The Ambassador of the Russian Federation Albert P. Khorev has said relations between Russia and Pakistan are based on long-standing friendship and trust.
He further said, ‘our ties were further strengthened by a series of visits of senior Russian officials to Islamabad, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk and Chairperson of the Federation Council (Senate) Valentina Matvienko. At the same time, Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Minister for Privatization Abdul Aleem Khan, Minister of Petroleum Musadik Masood Malik and Minister of Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari visited Moscow last year’.
The Russian ambassador expressed these views in an article written recently.
The ambassador further said, economic relations between Russia and Pakistan have already made considerable progress in recent years: trade turnover has grown by 50% in the last 5 years.
‘Our common task is to maintain this positive dynamic. The development of trade relations is facilitated by the opening of the St. Petersburg-Karachi sea route, the First Russia-Pakistan Trade and Investment Forum (October 1-2, 2024) and the 9th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission (December 2-4, 2024)’, he added.
He said, Russia was also making an important contribution to the food security of Pakistan. We export food and agricultural products, and we expect grain supplies to resume.
In addition, we are positive about the growth of exports of Russian mineral fertilizers to Pakistan this year. Leading Russian companies are ready to offer modern models of agricultural machinery to their Pakistani partners, he added.
The ambassador said, Russia-Pakistan relations also have great prospects in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors. Russian companies are exploring opportunities to take part in projects for the construction and reconstruction of thermal and hydroelectric power plants in Pakistan.
In the field of digital technologies, Russia is ready to share its best practices in information security, smart cities, e-government and the Internet of Things.
Leading Russian companies are ready to offer Pakistani citizens more than 80 educational courses and programs aimed at developing digital and cognitive skills. The training is available in both face-to-face and online formats. We attach equally great importance to developing educational and cultural ties between our two countries.
The number of scholarships for Pakistani students was increased by 11% in the last academic year. The most popular fields of study in 2024 were medicine, construction, engineering and economics, he added.
He further said, the lack of agreements between our countries on readmission and mutual recognition of higher education diplomas currently hinders the full realization of our cooperation potential. The relevant documents have been under consideration by the Pakistani side for a long time and we hope that a positive decision will be taken in the near future.
The ambassador emphasized that this year we will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory over Nazism in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). This date has a special significance for our country, the successor state of the Soviet Union, whose peoples played a decisive role in achieving this victory.
‘In this context, we intend to further strengthen defense cooperation between Russia and Pakistan, as evidenced by the regular contacts between the military leadership of the two countries, the Russia-Pakistan “Friendship-2024” exercises and Russia’s participation in the upcoming Aman 2025 naval exercise in Karachi in February this year’, the ambassador concluded.
