Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed Pakistan’s eagerness to enhance trade, economic, energy, connectivity, and security cooperation with Russia during a meeting with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk on Thursday. The meeting, held in Islamabad, underscored Pakistan’s commitment to prioritizing its relationship with Russia as a key aspect of its foreign policy, according to a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Prime Minister Sharif welcomed the Russian delegation and expressed his anticipation of hosting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Islamabad next month. He reflected on his “very fruitful” discussions with President Vladimir Putin in July and extended his gratitude to President Putin for dispatching a high-level delegation to explore avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister Overchuk thanked Prime Minister Sharif for the warm reception and reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to deepening its relations with Pakistan. He described the Pakistan-Russia relationship as constructive and mutually beneficial, with both sides agreeing to maintain regular contact.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Sharif also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Russia and Pakistan. The MoU signifies the shared commitment of both nations to strengthen cooperation in various sectors, including trade, investment, energy, information technology, agriculture, science and technology, and education.