ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations, as senior officials from both countries held meetings on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Malaysia.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov held a crucial meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the Deputy PM Office said in a statement.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations and agreed to meet again during the Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) next week.
🇷🇺🇵🇰 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Ishaq Dar held talks on the sidelines of #ASEAN events
📍 Kuala Lumpur, July 10#RussiaPakistan pic.twitter.com/ZmyMM88dY9
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) July 10, 2025
Earlier today, a high-powered delegation led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) of Pakistan on Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Syed Tariq Fatemi, as well as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar Khan, called on Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk in Moscow.
During the meeting, SAPM Fatemi underlined that Pakistan attached high importance to its relations with the Russian Federation, adding that strengthening relations with the latter was one of Pakistan’s foreign policy priorities. He affirmed that Pakistan viewed Russia as a stabilising factor in the international arena.
It may be recalled that Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, while addressing a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of Russia’s victory in World War II in Islamabad, expressed confidence that recent high-level interactions between the two countries have laid a solid foundation for deeper engagement and greater understanding.
Recalling his 2011 visit to Russia, President Zardari acknowledged President Putin’s efforts to promote Pak-Russia friendship.
