Lavrov in Pakistan to discuss ‘entire gamut’ of ties

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for his two-day official visit to discuss “the entire gamut” of Pak-Russian ties, as he was received by his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi here.

“Pakistan and Russia share a multi-faceted relationship and we welcome FM Lavrov’s visit in line with our mutual commitment to further strengthen our bilateral ties, deepening our growing bonds of cooperation and collaboration,” Qureshi said in a tweet, in which he shared several pictures of Lavrov at the airport.

Later, the Foreign Office tweeted: “During various interactions, the entire gamut of Pakistan- Russia ties and enhancing understanding on mutual areas of interest particularly in the fields of security and defence, energy, counter-terrorism, Afghan peace process, economy and trade will be discussed.”

Earlier, Qureshi said Pakistan would welcome a Russian investment in the revival of Pakistan Steels Mills (PSM) or other projects.

The PSM was set up with the technical and financial help of Russia and now its role in revival of the entity could open up several opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation, Qureshi said in a video statement regarding the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

He said the Russian foreign minister would meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa would also participate in delegation-level talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.