Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev highlighted the potential for expanding trade and economic cooperation with Pakistan in a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
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Office → highlight → Wednesday
Kolokoltsev arrived in Pakistan on Monday on a four-day visit at the invitation of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, marking the first instance of a Russian interior minister visiting Pakistan.
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minister → arrive → Pakistan
According to a statement issued by the PMO, in a meeting with the premier on Wednesday, Kolokoltsev highlighted the “significant potential for expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation” between the two countries.
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Kolokoltsev → accord → countries
He conveyed Russia’s desire to further strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in areas of shared interest, while expressing his country’s readiness to further enhance bilateral engagement with Pakistan, the statement said.
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statement → convey → Pakistan
The Russian minister also appreciated Pakistan’s support at various multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations.
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minister → appreciate → forums
Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further deepening its friendly relations with Russia and making “effective use of existing bilateral mechanisms to advance mutually beneficial cooperation”, the PMO said.
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PMO → reaffirm → cooperation
“He underscored the need to expand cooperation across areas of mutual interest, particularly trade and investment, energy, and economic development,” it added.
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it → underscore → interest
The premier expressed satisfaction over the positive momentum in Pakistan-Russia relations and stressed the importance of building on this momentum to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.
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premier → express → cooperation
Russian minister meets CDF, discusses defence cooperation
Kolokoltsev also called on Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, where both sides stressed the importance of bolstering defence cooperation between Islamabad and Moscow.
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sides → meet → Islamabad
According to a statement from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and the regional security landscape, with emphasis on strengthening bilateral security cooperation.
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sides → accord → cooperation
“They underscored the importance of closer institutional linkages and improved coordination between the security institutions of Pakistan and Russia,” the statement said.
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statement → underscore → Pakistan
It added that CDF Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to “deepen its longstanding relations with Russia and expand tangible cooperation in areas of shared interest, particularly in the security domain”.
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Munir → add → domain
Kolokoltsev also expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s contributions to regional peace and stability, acknowledging the professionalism and sacrifices of Pakistani forces in the fight against terrorism, the statement concluded.
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statement → express → terrorism
Pakistan, Russia agree to finalise extradition treaty
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Russia → agree → treaty
Earlier in the day, Pakistan and Russia agreed to finalise an extradition treaty and pledged to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in preventing organised crime and exchanging information.
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Pakistan → agree → information
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Naqvi and Kolokolstev in Islamabad.
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understanding → reach → Islamabad
The meeting was followed by delegation-level talks, the interior ministry said in a statement.
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ministry → follow → statement
According to the PMO, the signing of the MoU was witnessed by the prime minister.
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signing → accord → minister
Naqvi, during the meeting, said the proposed MoU on prevention of organised crime would be an important milestone in cooperation between the two countries.
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MoU → say → countries
The two sides pledged to enhance mutual cooperation in areas of shared interests as they agreed to finalise an extradition treaty and an agreement on the exchange of criminals.
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they → pledge → criminals
Both sides resolved to promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest and decided to ensure early implementation of a readmission agreement, according to the statement.
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sides → resolve → statement
They also agreed to enhance cooperation between the Anti-Narcotics Force and relevant Russian institutions.
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They → agree → Force
It was agreed in the meeting that working groups from the interior ministries of both countries would soon visit each other.
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groups → agree → other
The two sides also discussed sending skilled manpower from Pakistan to Russia and facilitating visa acquisition for tourists and the business community, as per the statement.
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sides → discuss → statement
They agreed to enhance cooperation for the prevention of cybercrime between the National Police Academy and the Russian Police Academy, the statement said.
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statement → agree → Academy
Naqvi said easing the visa regime would increase people-to-people contact between the two countries.
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easing → say → countries
He also expressed desire to benefit from Russia’s experiences in curbing cybercrime.
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He → express → cybercrime
He further noted that at present, 1,300 Pakistani students were studying in Russia and Pakistan wanted more students to study there.
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students → note → Russia
Russian Interior Minister Kolokolstev, for his part, said joint measures were essential for the prevention of all organised crime, including terrorism, drug smuggling, and illegal migration.
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measures → say → terrorism
He said Russia had brought a 33 per cent reduction in cybercrime through effective measures.
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Russia → say → measures
The meeting was attended by Minister of State Tallal Chaudhry, the Russian ambassador in Pakistan, special and additional secretaries to interior and other senior officials.
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meeting → attend → interior
In recent years, Pakistan and Russia have significantly strengthened their economic ties, driven by mutual necessity.
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Pakistan → strengthen → necessity
In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Moscow’s relations with Pakistan were “genuinely mutually beneficial” and that it maintained close ties with Islamabad.
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it → say → Islamabad
Last July, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk called Pakistan and Russia “natural allies”, stressing that Putin viewed Islamabad as an important strategic partner in the areas of economy and energy.
Following Western sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict, Moscow turned toward new energy outlets, while Islamabad simultaneously sought more affordable fuel sources to reduce national import expenses.
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Islamabad → call → expenses
This diplomatic shift culminated in 2023, when Pakistan officially integrated Russian crude oil into its energy portfolio.
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Pakistan → culminate → portfolio
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