The imbalance of tilting 100 percent west for seven decades should be corrected by becoming closer to the regional friends like Turkey and Russia, a press release said.

Pakistan and Russia are in various business deals worth over $10 billion which will take bilateral relations to new heights, FPCCI SVP Mazhar Ali Nasir said while talking to Russian trade officials at the sidelines of the 22nd St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

FPCCI Vice President Atif Ikram Sheikh, Chairman Coordination Malik Sohail, and Director General South Asian Strategic Stability Institute Dr Maria Sultan are also part of the delegation attending SPIEF.

Amid changing circumstances, Pakistan and Russia have been trying to open a new chapter in their bilateral relations and the visit of FPCCI’s delegation is part of the efforts to increase bilateral trade, Nasir told the leaders of different Russian Chambers of Commerce.

He said fifteen thousand delegates from seventy-two countries are attending the forum while business deals worth 100 billion dollars have been finalised which indicate its importance.

Mazhar Ali Nasir said Pakistan and Russia have taken a pro-active approach to take the relationship forward and look for realizing the potential in economic cooperation. Malik Sohail said SPIEF is an important event, therefore, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, China's Vice President Wang Qishan, and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde are among the noted participants.

India has a good presence at the forum while African countries have also established their pavilions but Pakistan’s Government has ignored the forum which is amazing, he added.

He praised the services of Honorary Consul General Dr Abdul Rauf Rind and assured that FPCCI will not only fully participate in all such forums in the future but also arrange Pakistan’s pavilion.