Islamabad, Moscow call for closer ties

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia are preparing to intensify efforts to cement their 55-year-old relationship, seeking “a fruitful interaction and promotion of peace, prosperity and progress in the region as their foreign ministers exchanged messages of goodwill on the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

On this occasion, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and his Russian counterpart, Igor S Ivanov, called for closer ties between the two states. “It is indeed a great pleasure for me to note that our bilateral relations have been growing, and more importantly the potential and commitment for the future are very promising,” the foreign minister said in his message to his Russian counterpart.

He referred to the visit by President Pervez Musharraf to the Russian Federation in February 2003, saying it was “a milestone and catalyst for the strengthening of relations in diverse areas”. “This provided an important opportunity for Pakistan and Russia to enhance their relationship towards a new epoch of friendship and cooperation,” he added. His Russian counterpart said the history of 55-year-old relations between the two countries experienced “a number of bright pages of mutually beneficial cooperation”. “Nowadays, as well, mutual understanding and partnership with Pakistan is of special value for Russia,” he said. —APP

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