Putin’s visit to Pakistan ‘not yet scheduled’

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office said on Monday though Pakistan and Russia had extended invitations to each other for summit-level visits, no such visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin was on schedule so far.

“While invitations for visits at the summit-level have been extended by both sides, no such visit has been scheduled yet,” Foreign Office Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in response to some media reports on the visit of the Russian president during the current month.

“Pakistan and Russia are close partners and friends, and consider high-level visits an important part of their growing ties,” he said, adding: “The two sides are committed to building a strong multi-dimensional relationship that not only serves their respective national interests, but also contribute to regional and global peace.”

The spokesman mentioned that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid a successful visit to Islamabad in April this year, while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak visited the Russian Federation last year.