Pakistan respects Russia's relations with India: Shehbaz Sharif tells Vladimir Putin

Beijing: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that his country respects Russia's relations with India, as he called for strengthening Islamabad's ties with Moscow during his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin here.

The two leaders are in China to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and attend a grand parade of the Chinese army here on Wednesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

"Our relations have only improved over the past many years. Thanks to your commitment and interest in many areas. I also intend to decisively strengthen our bilateral ties," Sharif told President Putin.

The prime minister also expressed gratitude to the Russian president for supporting Pakistan, which was viewed as "a balancing act in the region".

"I must say that we respect your relations with India. That is perfectly fine. But we also want to build very strong relations (with Russia). And these relations will be supplementary and complementary for the good and for the progress and prosperity of the region," Sharif said.

He emphasised that Putin is "a very dynamic leader" and that now Russia and Pakistan "are moving in the right direction," according to Russia's state-run TASS news agency.

Sharif said that Pakistan was eager to expand ties with Russia in “trade connectivity, energy, agriculture, investment, defence, artificial intelligence, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges,” state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

President Putin noted the upward trajectory of ties between the two countries and stressed the importance of collaboration in organisations such as the SCO, which in turn can serve a major role in regional and global security and stability, it said.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in South Asia, Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Ukraine conflict. They also exchanged views on ongoing cooperation at the multilateral forums, as well as on the long-standing issues and disputes of global interest, such as Palestine and Kashmir, Radio Pakistan reported.

Sharif also accepted Putin's invitation to visit Russia in November and participate in a SCO event for heads of government. "I would be very happy to visit Russia," he said.

The relations between Pakistan and Russia have come a long way from the Cold War hostility to the current level of cooperation, and there is hope to further expand it in the coming years.

In recent years, the two countries have engaged in strengthening bilateral ties with each other.

Separately, Sharif also met Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon in Beijing, and both leaders expressed their satisfaction with the ongoing cooperation between their countries in all areas of mutual interest.