Pakistan, Russia eye stronger economic and security ties

Russia has expressed interest in expanding trade and economic cooperation with Pakistan, as senior officials from both countries held talks in Islamabad on trade, investment, energy, defence and regional security.

Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday during his four-day visit to Pakistan. The Russian minister highlighted opportunities to strengthen bilateral economic ties and conveyed Moscow’s willingness to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Kolokoltsev also appreciated Pakistan’s support for Russia at international forums, particularly the United Nations. Shehbaz reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to strengthening friendly relations with Moscow and called for greater cooperation in trade, investment, energy and economic development.

The prime minister welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral relations and stressed the need to use existing cooperation mechanisms to achieve mutually beneficial results.

During his visit, Kolokoltsev also met Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. The two sides discussed regional security and ways to strengthen defence and security cooperation.

Both officials emphasised closer institutional ties and improved coordination between their respective security agencies. Munir reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Russia, while Kolokoltsev acknowledged the contributions and sacrifices of Pakistani security forces in combating terrorism.

Earlier, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks with his Russian counterpart, during which both countries agreed to move towards finalising an extradition treaty and strengthen cooperation against organised crime.

The discussions also covered a proposed memorandum of understanding on preventing organised crime and exchanging information. Both sides agreed to promote cooperation against terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal migration and cybercrime.

The two countries also pledged to improve coordination between their law enforcement agencies and work towards the early implementation of a readmission agreement. Officials agreed that working groups from both interior ministries would visit each other to advance the proposed arrangements.

Visa facilitation, tourism, business travel and educational exchanges also featured in the talks. Naqvi said easing visa procedures could strengthen people-to-people contacts and encourage greater interaction between the business communities of both countries.

He also expressed interest in learning from Russia’s experience in combating cybercrime. The minister said Pakistan wanted to increase educational opportunities for its students in Russia, where around 1,300 Pakistani students are currently enrolled, according to the information shared during the meeting.

Kolokoltsev stressed the importance of joint efforts to tackle organised crime and related cross-border threats.

The Russian interior minister also met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the Foreign Office. Their discussions focused on expanding cooperation in trade, investment, culture and tourism, alongside closer engagement at multilateral platforms, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Pakistan and Russia have strengthened their economic engagement in recent years, particularly in the energy sector. Moscow has sought to diversify its energy markets following Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, while Islamabad has explored alternative energy supplies to reduce import costs.

Pakistan began importing Russian crude oil in 2023, marking a significant development in bilateral energy cooperation. The latest round of meetings signals both countries’ interest in extending their partnership beyond energy to include trade, investment, security and institutional cooperation.