Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasised that there is a wide potential of cooperation between Russia and Pakistan in various fields.

He said this during his meeting with Valentina Matviyenko, the Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly, on Tuesday. The PM conveyed his best wishes to Russian President Vladimir Putin and invited him to visit Pakistan soon.

The two sides discussed strengthening of banking channels for the promotion of trade and investment as well as the creation of a comprehensive road map for economy, trade and investment between Pakistan and Russia.

The PM said that the recent visits by the Russian leadership are a positive sign for the strengthening of relations between Pakistan and Russia.

He also expressed the confidence that Pakistan-Russia Joint Commission meeting to be held in December will prove to be an important opportunity to expand cooperation between the two countries.

In a meeting on Tuesday with Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, Matviyenko said that Russia will increase bilateral cooperation with Pakistan in diverse fields, including trade, investment, and diplomacy.

The leaders discussed issues related to the promotion of diplomatic, economic, commercial, and parliamentary relations between the two countries.

Matviyenko said Russia highly values its relations with Pakistan. She said the promotion of parliamentary relations would not only augment trade and investment between the two countries, but also help bring the two peoples closer.

Meanwhile, Gillani said Matviyenko’s visit to Pakistan will give a new boost to ties between the two countries and will promote regional peace, development, and prosperity.

He appreciated Russia’s support to Pakistan for improvements in infrastructural development and the oil and gas sectors of Pakistan.