He said Russia-Pakistan bilateral co-operation goes beyond the traditional spheres of trade and economy. The recent contacts between the military establishments of both the countries were aimed at eliminating the threat of terrorism in the region. Earlier, this year, in September-October, Russia and Pakistan military teams for the first time held in the north of Pakistan tactical ground exercise codenamed "FriendShip 2016". The servicemen of both the countries shared their experiences in fighting underground groups while jointly performing various tasks in the mountainous areas.
He said the year 2016 was productive on many counts. On the political plane last there were bilateral consultations- the latest this December in Islamabad on the regional affairs- as well as the just concluded tripartite meet in Moscow on the situation in Afghanistan. Political dialogue between Moscow and Islamabad on various global and regional issues has become a regular item on the annual bilateral agenda and is reflective of mutual interest in bringing stability into the regional and international affairs.
He said there were some positive developments in the sphere of trade and economy. The case in point is the visit last May of a trade delegation led by S M Munir, Chief Executive of TDAP, to Moscow, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, the last two destinations being industrially highly developed regions of Russia. The trip which was the second of that kind, was undertaken in order to open new vistas for bilateral trade. A group of Pakistani businessmen explored new opportunities for business links with Russian counterparts. The visit was also useful for establishing direct co-operation between the regions of Russia and Pakistan.
He said that the visit of the gubernatorial delegation from Saint-Petersburg, the second largest city of Russia to Karachi, expected next year, will be a milestone on the road to closer ties between the Russian City and the Sindh province. He said that the visit of Russian business delegation led by acting chairman of the Russian-Pakistan Business Council to Karachi was another remarkable development.
The Russian Consul General said that the overview of bilateral activities within the previous 12 months period gives a broad idea of what has been achieved and what is yet to be done in order to render the co-operation between Russia and Pakistan more meaningful. As is evident, both the countries are marching steadily towards closer and mutually beneficial co-operation on many fronts which augurs well for the future of the region and the world.