ISLAMABAD: Russia is said to have asked Islamabad to be bold like New Delhi and resist pressure from the West if it wants to enhance economic relations with Moscow, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.
This very clear message was conveyed by the visiting Russian delegation during official meetings with Pakistani authorities. However, Islamabad appeared reluctant to give any clear signal to Moscow due to fear of sanctions by the West, the sources added.
According to sources, Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk is an assessment mission which will submit its report at the highest level in Moscow, after which both countries will proceed further.
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The sources said a Pakistani delegation is due to visit Moscow led by Minister for Planning, Development, Ahsan Iqbal at the end of the current months to discuss ways and means to enhance bilateral cooperation in different fields.
Initially there was a proposal to send delegations of Ministers, comprising Minister for Planning, Minister for Petroleum, Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Minister for Industries and Production/M/s NFS&R, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister for Commerce, jam Kamal Khan and SAPM, Syed Tariq Fatemi.
However, now, the government has decided to send a delegation comprising Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal and senior officials.
The sources said Russian deputy ministers, with a rank equal to a federal secretary in Pakistan, have held meetings with Pakistani Ministers and discussed the way forward to promote economic relations.
Another key hurdle in the way of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Russia is non availability of banking channels.
Both sides discussed how trade can be carried out through land route. At present two routes are available for trade i.e. Afghanistan and Iran.
Trade through Afghanistan looks impractical due sore relations between Islamabad and Kabul and the Iran route is also difficult due to the existing geopolitical situation.
Russia has proposed to Pakistan to use local or third party currencies (Chinese RMB or UAE dirham) and Russian banking messaging system for bilateral trade to avoid pressure from other countries.
These suggestions were floated by Russian President, Vladimir Putin to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana in July this year.
“We can use the Russian banking message system for bilateral trade. The use of 3rd party currencies can also be used. We should move towards mutual settlements in a manner that avoids exposure pressure from other countries,” sources quoted Mr. Putin as suggesting to Pakistani Prime Minister.
An official statement issued by the Commerce Ministry states that Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Federal Minister for Industries Production and National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain held a meeting with Russian Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergey Levin at the Ministry of Commerce.
The discussions focused on matters of mutual interest and enhancing bilateral trade between Pakistan and Russia, particularly in the agricultural sector.
Both sides exchanged souvenirs as a gesture of goodwill, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening trade ties between the two nations.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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