I am privileged to address the vast readership of this newspaper on the Day of Russia. This festive occasion provides an excellent opportunity to carry a message of friendship to the people of Pakistan. It is really heartening that we celebrate this Day in the atmosphere which is extremely conducive to widening the scope ofrelations between Russia and Pakistan. The recent increase in bilateral exchanges is a vivid testimony to the upward trajectory in our friendly ties which are set to encompass new areas of co-operation.
Efforts are on to utilizeto the maximum extent possible the potential of bilateral trade which still remains largely untapped. The roadmap for closer engagement in this area was chartered at the third session of the bipartite Russia-Pakistan Commission on co-operation in trade and economy, science and technology held in Moscow last November. The fourth session to be held in Islamabad later this year is expected to give a new impetus to expanding trade contacts and identifying prospective projects in infrastructure and energy sectors in Pakistan.
Steady on the path to recoveryare the Pakistan Steel Mills in Karachi, the largest enterprise in this land, which is a flagship of Russia-Pakistan co-operation. Russian business groups have the wherewithalto invest into restructuring and expansion of this industrial giant.
It is noteworthy that the recent bilateral agenda was to a certain extent Karachi-centric. On more than one occasion the city of Karachi wasthe stage on which new vistas of Russia-Pakistan engagement were unfolding. After a gap of almost 50 yearsthe practice of mutual friendly visits of Naval ships was resumed. Twice over the previousyearships of the Russian Pacific and Baltic fleets sailed into the Karachi port to a warm welcome. Joint Naval exercises held last October were aimed at honing the skills of combattingdrug-trafficking at sea. The concurrent visit to Karachi of V.P.Ivanov, Chief of the Drug Control Agency of Russia, and his interaction with the Pakistani counterparts helped reinforce bilateral co-ordination aimed at curbing the spread of narcotics in the region.
The 8th International Defense Exhibition and Seminar ("IDEAS-2014") held in Karachi last December provided an opportunity for Russia's defense industry to showcase the latest technologies and innovative ideas. This event shortly followed the visit of the Defense Minister of Russia S.K.Shoigu to Islamabad last November. The visit reaffirmed the willingness of the two countries to share expertise in fighting terrorism and to translate their bilateral relationship into more tangible terms.
Another significant event was the release of the English version of the book "Benazir Bhutto: A multidimensional portrait" by the Russian scholar Anna Suvorova at the 6th Karachi Literature Festival in February this year. The book is a befitting tribute to the outstanding daughter of Pakistan. On the immediate bilateral agenda is the visit to Karachi of the delegation of Saint-Petersburg, the second largest city of Russia,for signing the Agreement on co-operation between the Government of Saint-Petersburg and the Government of Sindh. This Agreement which covers different areas of co-operation aims at bringing closer the people of our two countries and will be the first step towards establishing direct ties between Russian regions and provinces of Pakistan.
Thus, it is quite obvious that Russia-Pakistan interaction has been gaining momentum while steadily acquiring multi-facetednature. There is every reason to believe that in a short while the current bilateral engagement will grow into amore vibrant and meaningful relationship.
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