PM Shehbaz calls for expanding Pakistan-Russia trade, investment and energy ties

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pushed for broader economic ties with Russia, focusing on commerce, investment, energy and development. Speaking with Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, who is in Pakistan, he welcomed the recent upswing in bilateral relations and urged both sides to use existing mechanisms to deliver mutually beneficial projects. Pakistan Today reported that he reaffirmed the country's intent to deepen its partnership with Moscow.

Kolokoltsev is in the country for a four-day trip, invited by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and the visit is the first of its kind from a Russian interior minister. Talks between the two ministers covered simpler visa procedures for tourists and business visitors, plus ways to move skilled Pakistani workers to Russia more easily. Naqvi added that easier visas would deepen contact between people of both countries, and noted about 1,300 Pakistani students are enrolled in Russia.

The sides agreed to complete an extradition pact and a deal on exchanging criminals, according to the Interior Ministry, which also said they reviewed a readmission agreement and closer Anti-Narcotics Force ties with Russian bodies. The agenda also covered organised crime, terrorism, narcotics smuggling, irregular migration and cyber offences. Separately, at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir discussed regional security with the visiting minister, according to ISPR, and reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to practical cooperation with Russia.