Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Pakistan on a two-day visit on Tuesday. Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Lavrov's visit would be the first visit by a Russian foreign minister to the country in the past nine years and he would personally visit the airport to welcome Lavrov.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Sergei Lavrov's visit would be the first visit by any Russian Foreign Minister to the country in nine years and would personally visit the airport to welcome him.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Pakistan on a two-day visit on Tuesday and conducted important talks with the country's top leadership and army chief on bilateral relations as well as the circumstances in Afghanistan. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Lavrov's visit would be the first visit by a Russian foreign minister to the country in the past nine years and he would personally visit the airport to welcome Lavrov.
Lavrov visited Islamabad in 2012. In a video statement, Qureshi said "There is no doubt that Russia is a prime country in the region ... His visit to Pakistan indicates that our bilateral relations are taking a new turn." He said that both countries want to bring forward the North South Gas Pipeline project, which has been in the news for quite some time in the past. He said that the Pakistan Steel Mill in Karachi was established with Russian help and there is a possibility to get it out of the current financial crisis.
Qureshi said that Pakistan and Russia are involved in the Afghan peace process. Besides that, Lavrov is visiting Pakistan after visiting India with which Russia has historical ties. "It can motivate India to play a positive role for harmony in Afghanistan," Qureshi said.
Qureshi said he would conduct delegation-level talks with the Russian Foreign Minister, who would later meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Monday evening after a 19 hours long journey. He held talks with the country's top leadership on many aspects of bilateral relations and preparations for the annual India-Russia summit.
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