Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Russian Ambassador Albert P. Khorev in Islamabad.

Pakistan Committed to Strengthen Relations with Russia, states Mohsin Naqvi in a bilateral meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Pakistan. The Interior Minister and the Russian Ambassador had a cordial meeting where bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest were discussed in detail. Pakistani and Russian sides also discussed enhancing cooperation between both the nations. Thus, cooperation in counter-terrorism and anti-narcotics efforts was agreed. Moreover, Pakistan and Russia agreed to activate the counter-terrorism dialogue between the two countries.

Additionally, the Pakistani and Russian authorities also agreed to increase the exchange of delegations to strengthen mutual ties. At the occasion, the Russian ambassador invited Pakistani officials to participate in anti-narcotics training programs in Moscow and Siberia.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that terrorism is an international challenge and collective efforts are required to overcome it. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening relations with Russia and emphasized that there are vast opportunities for bilateral cooperation in various sectors.

It is an interesting development since Pakistan and Russia had once been close development partners. In fact, Russia was the sponsor of Pakistan’s first ever Steel Mill in Karachi. Still, Pakistan and Russia also remained unannounced adversaries in the past. Most importantly, Pakistani military had stood against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1980’s. While the Pakistani inclination was towards the United States. Russia and Pakistan were considered as opponents and foes. However, the two nations came closer with time.

In last September, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mr. Alexei Overchuk visited Pakistan to boost ties between both countries. Since then, there are reports of backdoor contacts and diplomatic efforts towards increasing cooperation between Russia and Pakistan. Thus, the latest reports suggest that Pakistan is Committed to Strengthen Relations with Russia.