Minister for Defence Khurram Dastgir Khan has said that Pak-Russia partnership is strengthening positively and will open new avenues of progress for both the nations. While concluding the 5th Pak-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) in Moscow, Dastgir said that Pakistan and Russia have made tremendous and substantive strides in their partnership since 2013. Defence cooperation has been the vanguard of this new chapter in Pak-Russia relationship but it will soon be matched by vast energy-sector cooperation, he added.
Pakistani and Russian ministers signed the formal protocol after a plenary session of the IGC that concluded three days of multi-faceted dialogue and negotiations between the Pakistan and Russian contingents.
Speaking to media persons after the signing ceremony, Pakistan co-chair announced that both the sides have accelerated ongoing negotiations on numerous energy sector investments by Russia into Pakistan. "We have also added important new subjects such as trade liberalization to the IGC, and held the first meeting of Pak-Russia Joint Working Group on Trade. Other subjects of the dialogue were mutual recognition of standards, increasing Pakistan students in Russia, banking and customs cooperation, and visa facilitation," said Khurram.
Dastgir was appointed recently by the Prime Minister to co-chair the Pak-Russia IGC. Pakistan co-chair with his Russian counterpart, Minister for Trade and Industry Denis V Manturov were present on the occasion. Dastgir led a 22-member delegation consisting of secretaries of Economic Affairs, Energy, and Textile Industry as well as senior officials from the ministries of Petroleum, Foreign Affairs, and Commerce. Whereby, Minister Manturov led a 50-member delegation of Russian officials.
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