Relations with India perfectly fine…we also want to build relations: What Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif told Putin

While during an interaction with President Vladimir Putin in China, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserted on September 2 that his country respects Russia’s relations with India but Islamabad wants to deepen ties with Moscow also.

“Our relations have only improved over the past many years. Thanks to your commitment and interest in many areas. I also intend to decisively strengthen our bilateral ties. I must say that we respect your relations with India. That is perfectly fine. But we also want to build very strong relations (with Russia). And these relations will be supplementary and complementary for the good and for the progress and prosperity of the region,” Sharif told Putin.

Russia and Pakistan ‘are moving in the right direction’: Sharif

While expressing appreciation to Putin for backing Pakistan, which was seen as “a balancing act in the region”, Sharif called the Russian President as “a very dynamic leader”. He added Russia and Pakistan “are moving in the right direction”, TASS news agency reported.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, Sharif mentioned that Pakistan was keen to further relations with Russia in “trade connectivity, energy, agriculture, investment, defence, artificial intelligence, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges”.

It stated President Putin highlighted the positive growth in relations between the two nations and emphasised the significance of working together within organisations like the SCO, which can play a crucial role in maintaining regional and global security and stability.

The leaders also talked about the situations in South Asia, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and the conflict in Ukraine. Additionally, they shared perspectives on continued cooperation in multilateral forums and discussed longstanding global issues and disputes, including those related to Palestine and Kashmir, Radio Pakistan reported.

Sharif also agreed to Putin’s invitation to visit Russia in November and attend a SCO event for heads of government, stating, “I would be very happy to visit Russia.”

Both are in Tianjin to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and participate in a mega parade of the Chinese army on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese aggression.

In a separate meeting in Beijing, Sharif also met with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, where both leaders conveyed their contentment with the continued collaboration between their countries across all areas of shared interest.