ISLAMABAD
The Foreign Office on Monday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would pay an official visit to Russia on February 23 and 24, seen as a turnaround in the relationship between the two former Cold War rivals.
This would be the first official bilateral visit by an elected prime minister in 23 years. The last time any Pakistani premier undertook an official visit to the country was when former prime minister Nawaz Sharif visited Moscow in March 1999.
In between, former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, president Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi did visit Russia but none of them were official bilateral trips.
“At the invitation of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Imran Khan will pay an official visit to Russia on 23-24 February 2022,” the FO spokesperson said in a statement.
He added that the prime minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including members of the cabinet. The bilateral summit will be the highlight of the visit.
The spokesperson said that Pakistan and Russia enjoy friendly relations marked by mutual respect, trust and convergence of views on a range of international and regional issues.
“During the summit meeting, the two leaders will review the entire array of bilateral relations including energy cooperation. They will also have a wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues, including Islamophobia and the situation in Afghanistan,” the statement added.
