Pakistan, India will consider water talks
islamabad — Pakistan and Russia held their first-ever consultation on regional issues on Wednesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Islamabad, the Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said in a statement, reports Dawn online.
The delegation from Moscow was led by Alexander V. Sternik, Third CIS Department head at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whereas the Pakistani side was led by MOFA Director-General (West Asia) Ahmad Hussain Dayo.
During the consultations, a wide range of regional issues as well as key areas of mutual interest, including economic cooperation and connectivity, were discussed.
The two sides also exchanged views on important global and regional developments.
The next round of consultations
The next round of consultations will be convened in Moscow in 2017
Nafees Zakaria, Foreign Office spokesman
will be convened in Moscow in 2017, spokesman Zakaria said.
Reports circulating earlier this month claimed that the Russian spy chief had made a visit to Pakistan in order to inspect the Gwadar Port.
The reports said that Pakistan had formally authorised Russia to join the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) after the head of Russian intelligence requested to join the project.
Last week, the Russian foreign ministry denied the reports about ‘secret negotiations’ between the two countries regarding cooperation on the CPEC.
“The Pakistani media reports about secret negotiations between Russia and Pakistan on the implementation of projects as part of the CPEC are not true to the facts,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation had said in a Press release.
In September, Russian troops arrived in Pakistan for the first ever joint Pak-Russian military exercise. Around 200 military personnel of both countries participated in the drills.
Relations between the two countries have been growing stronger since the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pakistan in 2014.