Russian Deputy PM lands in Islamabad, to hold talks with top leadership

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk reached Pakistan today and will hold extensive talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Russian deputy PM — welcomed by Pakistan's Ambassador in Moscow Muhammad Khalid Jamali and Additional Foreign Secretary (Europe) Shafqat Ali Khan at the Islamabad Airport — will also meet his counterpart Ishaq Dar during his visit, the FO added.

His visit comes after last The News reported that Islamabad and Moscow were considering Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) transactions in future.

Russia, the publication said citing a senior official at the Ministry of Energy, had communicated that its LNG export terminals would get ready in 2026 for gas trade with Pakistan in light of the fact that the price re-opening clause with Qatar under two long-term agreements under government-to-government arrangements would be invoked in 2026.

Furthermore, an official informed the subcommittee that a Russian delegation was due to visit the country to discuss the establishment of a state-of-the-art steel mill on the existing site of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).

Speaking exclusively to Geo News on his visit, the deputy PM expressed Moscow's readiness to share knowledge with Islamabad in various sectors to assist the latter.

Stressing on increasing socio-cultural ties between the two countries, Overchuk said that he hopes constructive collaboration to continue with Pakistan under Russia's presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State.

"There is a good environment for advancing expanded cooperation between our countries," he remarked.

It is to be noted that earlier in the month, the Ministry of Industries and Production submitted a report to the National Assembly saying that the country was considering establishing a new steel mill following a meeting between Russian officials and President Zardari in April wherein the former offered assistance with regard to the PSM — established via Moscow's assistance.

Russian Consul General Andrey Viktorovich Fedorov, in July, had also offered Moscow's help to Islamabad in reviving the steel mills.

Pakistan has hosted various senior officials of various countries in recent months including Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev's two-day official visit in July.

Before that, late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi had also arrived in the country on a three-day visit in April.