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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is “very keen” to strengthen its bilateral relations with Russia in trade, energy and other key sectors, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday, as he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Head of States, which was attended by Putin and Sharif among more than a dozen other leaders.

Pakistan and Russia, once Cold War rivals, have strengthened ties in recent years through increased dialogue and trade. In 2023, Islamabad began purchasing discounted Russian crude oil banned from European markets due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, and also received its first shipment of liquefied petroleum gas from Moscow.

Speaking at the meeting televised from Beijing, Sharif said the existing cooperation between the two countries showed their commitment and he believed that they were heading “in the right direction.”

“We have signed protocols in terms of how to promote our cooperation in the field of agriculture, in the field of iron and steel, energy, transport, corridor from Belarus and then [to] Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan [and to] Pakistan. I think this is a very important corridor,” he told Putin.

“I have been very keen to strengthen our bilateral relations. I think we are in the right direction.”

The development comes at a time when Pakistan is trying to leverage its strategic geopolitical position to enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting landlocked Central Asia with the rest of the world, thereby trying to ensure a sustainable economic recovery following a prolonged economic meltdown.

In December last year, Russia and Pakistan held intergovernmental meetings in Moscow and discussed cooperation on oil and gas offshore exploration and refining, according to a Reuters news agency report. Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P. Khorev this year announced cooperation with Pakistan in the energy and industrial sectors, including the modernization of a state-owned steel mill.

President Putin pointed out that Pakistan has always been and remains Moscow’s “traditional partner” in Asia.

“We cherish the relations we’ve built between our countries,” he said, inviting Sharif to an SCO meeting in Russia in Nov.

“Distinguished Prime Minister, Excellency, in November, Russia is planning an event within the framework of the SCO. It’s going to be the meeting of the heads of government. If you have the time, if you think it possible, we will be very glad to have you in Moscow.”

Sharif thanked Putin for the invite, saying he would be glad to visit Moscow.

Sharif arrived in China on Saturday on a six-day visit that included attending the SCO summit in Tianjin. On the sidelines, he has met leaders from China, Russia, Malaysia, Turkiye and Central Asian republics.

Earlier on Tuesday, Sharif met President Xi Jinping and discussed with him the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other aspects of Pakistan-China bilateral partnership.

Since 2013, Beijing has invested tens of billions of dollars in energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan as part of CPEC, a major segment of China’s Belt and Road Initiative that aims to build land and maritime trade routes linking Asia with Africa and Europe.

Both leaders “reaffirmed their shared commitment and resolve to further strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership,” Sharif’s office said after the meeting.

KARACHI: Officials from Pakistan and Kazakhstan discussed joint venture opportunities to enhance bilateral trade through the Karachi and Gwadar seaports, Pakistan’s maritime affairs ministry said on Tuesday amid Islamabad’s push to enhance its role as a regional transit hub. 

Pakistan has recently sought to leverage its strategic location to connect landlocked Central Asian states to Asia. Islamabad is pursuing a “Vision Central Asia” policy based on improving bilateral cooperation in politics, trade, investment, energy and connectivity, security and people-to-people contact with Central Asian Republics. 

Pakistan’s Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry met Kazakh Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin in Islamabad, with the two sides expressing interest in promoting bilateral cooperation, the Pakistani ministry said.

“Minister Chaudhry suggested initiating joint ventures at the Karachi and Gwadar ports, highlighting potential partnerships within Gwadar’s free zones,” the maritime affairs ministry said in a statement. “These efforts are intended to utilize Pakistan’s strategic port infrastructure to enhance trade access for Kazakhstan, a landlocked nation seeking wider maritime connectivity.”

Kistafin said Kazakhstan wanted to use Pakistan’s seaports as transit hubs for the Central Asian region, the statement said. The Kazakh official said a ministerial-level delegation led by his country’s communication minister, is scheduled to visit Pakistan “soon.” 

The delegation would conduct in-depth discussions with Chaudhry to explore further cooperation in maritime trade and logistics, the Pakistani ministry said. 

Chaudhry highlighted the role of Pakistani ports as “gateways” providing direct access to Central Asian countries to the Arabian Gulf, African and Southeast Asian markets.

He said these efforts would boost trade connectivity across the continent, underscoring Pakistan’s commitment to deepening economic ties through maritime channels.

Karachi and Gwadar are Pakistan’s most vital seaports, which Islamabad hopes can serve as gateways for international trade and regional connectivity. 

The southern Karachi city handles the majority of Pakistan’s imports and exports while Gwadar, located near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, offers traders direct access to the Arabian Sea. It is central to regional trade routes, including the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. 

Pakistan seeks to enhance the performance of the two crucial ports in its bid to boost its fragile $350 billion economy.