Russian FM Lavrov to arrive in Pakistan on two-day visit tomorrow

• Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to arrive in Pakistan on April 6 to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation.
• "Entire gamut of Pakistan-Russia bilateral ties, future cooperation in diverse fields, regional & intl. issues will be discussed" during his visit.
• Lavrov would first travel to India before landing in Pakistan; he would also meet Prime Minister Imran Khan.

ISLAMABAD: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to arrive in Pakistan on a two-day visit tomorrow — April 6, 2021 — to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

"The entire gamut of Pakistan-Russia bilateral ties, future cooperation in diverse fields, regional & intl. issues will be discussed" during the delegation-level talks between Lavrov and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri wrote on Twitter.

According to a statement from the foreign ministry, the Russian official's visit "is part of the growing interaction and regular high-level exchanges" between the two nations.

"The visit of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will contribute to further deepening of the multifaceted bilateral relationship and enhancing mutual understanding on regional and global issues," the statement added.

Read more: Cooperation, not confrontation should drive int'l politics, says FM Qureshi at SCO moot

Lavrov — who would travel to India's capital New Delhi as part of his visit to South Asia before landing at the Islamabad airport — would also meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and other top officials of Pakistan.

Lavrov would be accompanied by Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s presidential envoy to Afghanistan, according to a media report.

This would be the first visit of a Russian foreign minister to Pakistan since 2012.

Also read: Russia’s presidential envoy to Afghanistan likely to accompany Lavrov on Pakistan visit

FM Qureshi last met his Russian counterpart on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek in June 2019 and the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Moscow in September 2020.

The two countries "enjoy friendly and cooperative relations based on mutual respect, trust and understanding", the foreign ministry's statement added.

"Bilateral cooperation is growing across a wide range of areas of common interest including in security and defence, counter-terrorism, and the Afghan peace process.

"Over the recent past, deepening collaboration in economic, trade and energy sectors has been the focus of the two governments."