ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants to establish trading relations with all other countries to lift people out of poverty rather than becoming part of any bloc, Prime Minister Imran Khan said.
Ahead of his visit to Moscow, the premier gave an exclusive interview to Russian TV, reiterating that the last thing that Pakistan wants “is the world divided into blocs.”
The PM will leave for Moscow on a two-day official visit tomorrow. This is the first visit of any Pakistani premier in the last 23 years.
During the interview, the premier noted that greater cooperation between the US, China, and Russia will benefit everybody much more than the conflict.
Underscoring the need for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine issue, PM Imran Khan reiterated that military conflicts do not solve problems.
He said: “Pakistan wants to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia,” adding that he looks forward to his Moscow visit.
‘Lifting sanctions on Iran will help Pakistan get cheap gas’
“Pakistan is a gas deficient country,” he highlighted, stating that the country’s North-South Gas pipeline has suffered a delay because of the US sanctions on the Russian company “we were negotiating for the construction of the pipeline.”
He further added the lifting of sanctions on Iran will also help Pakistan get the cheapest gas from the neighboring country.
PM Khan says India has adopted racist ideology
Replying to a question regarding relations with India, the premier said his government immediately reached out to India after coming to power in order to resolve the outstanding Kashmir dispute.
He, however, regretted that India has adopted a “racist ideology inspired by Nazis”.
To a question, PM Imran Khan said climate change and illicit flow of money from poor countries to the developed world are the two major challenges faced by the world. He said the western countries should frame laws as they have on terror financing to check the illicit flows.
