- Russia, Pakistan agree to enhance regional connectivity through railways, direct flights
- Pakistan and Russia to expand bilateral cooperation in the agriculture sector, food security
- A 75-member business delegation from Pakistan to visit Russia in October 2024 to explore avenues for business and economic cooperation.
- Russian PM Mr. Mishustin to visit Islamabad in October 2024
- Russia aims to expand education cooperation, to increase collaboration between Pakistani and Russian universities
- Russia to open a Russian Facilitation Center in Islamabad to assist students seeking admissions to Russian educational institutes.
- Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Alexei Overchuk Meets Pakistan’s top leadership to foster Russia Pakistan cooperation
By: Muhammad Arif, Editor NSN.Asia
Islamabad: Russia and Pakistan have signed a MoU to further strengthen mutually advantageous cooperation in all areas of shared interest, especially trade, investment, energy, IT, agriculture, science & technology and education.
The MoU was signed in the presence of and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday. Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Alexei Overchuk who is visiting Islamabad along with high-level delegation.
Welcoming the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Alexei Overchuk and his delegation to Islamabad, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif conveyed that Pakistan considers strengthening relations with Russia as an important priority of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
Pakistan to expand trade, economic, energy, connectivity and security cooperation with Russia.
The Prime Minister stated that Pakistan is keen to expand trade, economic, energy, connectivity and security cooperation with Russia.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif added that he looked forward to welcoming Russian PM Mr. Mishustin to Islamabad next month.
The Prime Minister recalled that he had a very fruitful discussion with President Vladimir Putin in July ealier this year and conveyed his thanks to President Putin for sending the high-level delegation to discuss expansion of bilateral cooperation.
DPM Overchuk thanked the PM for the warm welcome and reiterated Russia’s resolve to deepen relations with Pakistan. He characterized Pakistan-Russia relations as constructive and mutually beneficial.
The two sides agreed to maintain regular contacts. The Prime Minister also witnessed signing of a MoU between Russia and Pakistan, which signifies the shared understanding and desire of the two countries to further strengthen mutually advantageous cooperation in all areas of shared interest, especially trade, investment, energy, IT, agriculture, science & technology and education.
- Pakistan and Russia have reiterated their commitment to enhancing regional connectivity
Pakistan and Russia have reiterated their commitment to expanding trade and economic ties, along with enhancing regional connectivity, to strengthen bilateral relations.
Both sides underscored the importance of fostering mutually beneficial cooperation in key sectors such as agriculture, food security, business, education, railways, science and technology, and promoting stronger people-to-people connections.
This was discussed during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and the visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Mr Alexei Overchuk, who along with members of his delegation called on the President, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, on Thursday.
Welcoming the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, the President stressed the importance of exploring possibilities for barter trade, in addition to improving connectivity to strengthen economic relations between the two nations.
He called for easing visa regulations and increasing connectivity through railways and direct flights to facilitate and enhance people-to-people and business-to-business contacts.
During the meeting, it was highlighted that there was great scope to increase bilateral cooperation in the agriculture sector. It was emphasised that there was enormous potential to undertake joint ventures in the agricultural sector for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
It was also informed that a 75-member business delegation from Pakistan would visit Russia in October to explore avenues for business and economic cooperation.
Mr Alexei Overchuk said that Russia was looking forward to improving cooperation with Pakistan in the areas of food security, science and technology, education, connectivity and railways. He stated that the upcoming visit of the Russian Prime Minister to Pakistan, in October, would provide another opportunity to further strengthen bilateral relations.
He further said that Russia held tremendous respect for all religions and Muslim culture, and had condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran.
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Mr Ishaq Dar, Chairman Pakistan People’s Party, Mr Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Mr Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Minister of Energy (Power and Petroleum Divisions), Mr Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Minister of Communications, Mr Abdul Aleem Khan, Minister of Commerce, Mr Jam Kamal Khan, Senator Ms Sherry Rehman, and senior officials of the Government were also present during the meeting.
- Russian to expand Education Cooperation, to increase collaboration between Pakistani and Russian universities,
Earlier, a high level delegation from Russian Federation led by Mr. Andrey Korneev, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Education of Russian Federation, and Mr. Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russian Federation visited the Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training on Thursday.
The delegation included the Consultant of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, Associate Professor of Ural State Pedagogical University, and officials from the Embassy of Russia in Pakistan. Mr. Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Federal Secretary for Ministry of Education & Professional training, briefed the delegation and highlighted the achievements and challenges faced by Pakistan in the field of education.
The bilateral talks focused on enhancing educational cooperation between the two countries, building on the positive momentum of their relationship over the past two decades.
During the discussions, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral educational cooperation and explored ways to enhance it. They affirmed their commitment to promoting cultural and educational exchanges.
The Pakistani side expressed a strong desire to increase collaboration between Pakistani and Russian universities, particularly in the fields of emerging technologies.
The Russian Deputy Minister emphasized initiatives to promote the Russian language in Pakistan and enhance educational links. An agreement was reached to open a Russian Facilitation Center in Islamabad to assist students seeking admissions to Russian educational institutes.
The delegation also expressed their willingness to organize a Russian Educational Expo in Pakistan to strengthen cooperation in education and promote technology-based industrial linkages between the two countries.
In addition to the bilateral talks, the Russian delegation visited Islamabad College for Girls (ICG), Sector F-6/2, Islamabad. They appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training in advancing pedagogical initiatives, with a special focus on girls’ education.
Both sides agreed to prepare plans for finalization at the forthcoming Joint Working Group Meeting, expected in October 2024. The year 2025 is anticipated to be a year of action, embodying the essence of collaboration between Pakistan and Russia.
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