SIALKOT City News

Russian envoy terms Pakistan reliable regional partner

Says strong supporter of ‘economic corridor’ between Pakistan, Russia, like CPEC

From Our Correspondent

SIALKOT: Russian Ambassador in Pakistan Alexey Dedov Wednesday said Pakistan is one of the most important and reliable regional partners of Russia.

Addressing local business community at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), the envoy said Russia and Pakistan had been enjoying friendly and cordial mutual relations in many spheres for decades.

The envoy said bilateral relations between both the countries experienced stagnation in the 1980s due to the Afghanistan issue but currently their ties were getting strengthening day by day.

Alexey Dedov said apart from enjoying warm mutual relations in the past, the trade related activities between both the nations were far below their actual potential at present and the improved and solid trade ties with Pakistan was one of his top priority of his country.

He said days of bi-polar or uni-polar world were over and in the new ‘multi-polar’ world Pakistan and Russia had great role to play. He said currently the trade volume between both the countries was a little over $ 331 million annually and it was in favour of Russia. He stressed excessive exchange of the trade related information and the delegations of traders and businessmen between both the countries to strengthen bilateral trade ties.

He said he was a strong supporter of an ‘economic corridor’ between Pakistan and Russia, just like the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, but a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was a must to achieve that goal.

He said Russia was a strong supporter of Pakistan’s efforts to bring the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban on negotiation table for a peaceful Afghanistan. He invited the local industrialists and traders to come forward and enjoy lucrative benefits of investment in Russia and explore vast markets for their products.

Earlier, the envoy visited the Sialkot International Airport.

SCCI president Maj (retd) Mansoor Ahmed, vice-presidents Sarfraz Butt and Syed Ehtsham Gillani, ex- district nazim Mian Naeem Javed, ex-SCCI president Fazal Jilani, Hamza Majeed Janjua, Dr Aslam Dar and others were also present.