SAMARKAND: During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference in Uzbekistan on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reminded Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that pipeline gas deliveries were conceivable because part of the equipment was already in place.
The prime minister met with the leaders of Turkey, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and other nations on the sidelines of the summit. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, and other senior officials.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was founded in 2001 as a political, economic, and security organization to compete with Western institutions, is made up of China, India, Pakistan, Russia, and the former Soviet Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The prime minister stated during his meeting with Putin that Pakistan was committed to increasing cooperation with Russia in all areas that would be beneficial to both countries, including food security, commerce and investment, energy, defense, and security.
The two presidents talked about their bilateral relationships and shared opinions on local and global challenges. The prime minister thanked President Putin for showing his nation’s support and solidarity with those impacted by Pakistan’s devastation by floods. The next Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) meeting will be held in Islamabad as soon as possible, the two leaders decided.
A stable and peaceful Afghanistan was important to both Islamabad and Moscow, he said, praising Russia’s positive contribution to the country. The pace of international engagement in Afghanistan must be accelerated, according to PM Shehbaz, who also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting all national, regional, and global initiatives aimed at stabilizing Afghanistan.
Mr. Putin brought up the potential of starting the Pakistan-Russia Stream Gas Pipeline project, which may give Pakistan the infrastructure it needs for LNG shipments.
