MOSCOW: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Moscow, pledging to further deepen cooperation at bilateral and multilateral fora, including the United Nations and the SCO.
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar conveyed the greetings and good wishes of Pakistan’s leadership to Deputy Prime Minister Overchuk and the Russian leadership.
He highlighted the importance of enhanced high-level engagement between the two countries and emphasised Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening ties across political, trade, energy, connectivity, agriculture, industry, education, science and technology, information technology, people-to-people linkages, and tourism.
Deputy Prime Minister Overchuk, the Ministry added, recalled his successful visit to Islamabad in September 2024 and his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the SCO-CHG in Islamabad in October 2024.
He noted Pakistan’s potential as a regional hub for transit trade and connectivity and welcomed Pakistan’s efforts to establish relations with Armenia, which he said could enhance ties with the Eurasian Economic Union.
Both leaders also exchanged views on key regional and global developments and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation at bilateral and multilateral forums, including the United Nations and the SCO.
Dar, Putin discuss regional cooperation
Deputy PM Dar also called on Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with other Heads of Government delegations of SCO-member States, in Moscow.
During the meeting, President Putin welcomed the leaders and emphasised the importance of strengthening regional economic cooperation under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Putin also highlighted the SCO’s role as a key platform for connectivity, stability, and mutually beneficial development across the region.
Pakistan calls for stronger economic integration
Earlier, while addressing the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG), Pakistan’s Deputy PM Dar urged for stronger economic integration and broader partnerships among the member states of the SCO.
The deputy prime minister highlighted that the SCO’s broader agenda—covering trade, the economy, culture, and humanitarian cooperation—forms the basis of a “mature, forward-looking” organisation.
He emphasised that the SCO is well placed to promote regional cooperation in dealing with emergency situations and to expand cooperation in the humanitarian field.
Ishaq Dar stated that Pakistan has developed a technology-driven, proactive disaster management system and expressed interest in conducting simulation exercises with SCO partners to strengthen regional preparedness.
