Underscoring the need for a peaceful solution to the Ukraine issue, Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated that military conflicts do not solve the problems.
In an exclusive interview with Russia Today ahead of a visit to Moscow, PM Imran said Pakistan does not want to become part of any bloc rather desires trading relations with all the countries to lift the people out of poverty.
The PM will leave for Moscow on a two-day official visit tomorrow. This is the first visit of any Pakistani premier in the last 23 years.Responding to a question, PM Imran Khan pointed out that Pakistan has suffered in the past because of this politics of blocs. He said the last thing we want is the world divided into blocs.
The prime minister noted that greater cooperation between the US, China and Russia will benefit mankind much more than the conflict.
Pakistan wants to strengthen bilateral relations with Russia and he looks forward to his Moscow visit, said the PM.
He pointed out that Pakistan is a gas deficient country, adding, “Our North-South Gas pipeline has suffered a delay because of the US sanctions on the Russian company we were negotiating for the construction of the pipeline.”
He said the lifting of sanctions on Iran will also help Pakistan get the cheapest gas from the neighbouring country.
When asked about relations with India, PM Imran said his government immediately reached out to India after coming to power in order to resolve the outstanding Kashmir dispute. He, however, regretted that India has been taken over by the racist ideology inspired by Nazis.
He said the western countries should frame laws as they have on terror financing to check the illicit flows of money from poor countries.
Prime Minister Imran Khan would during his two-day official visit to Russia, which begins from Wednesday, seek to further cement bilateral relations with Moscow.
The Foreign Office on Monday announced the prime minister’s trip, saying Mr Khan will visit Russia on Feb 23-24 on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including members of the cabinet, on the “official visit”, the FO said.
“The visit of the prime minister will contribute to further deepening of the multifaceted Pakistan-Russia bilateral relationship and enhancement of mutual cooperation in diverse fields,” it added.
The announcement was made amidst growing uncertainty about the visit due to fears of a likely war between Russia and Ukraine, and the evolving political scenario at home.It will be the first bilateral visit by a Pakistani prime minister to Russia in nearly 23 years. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif last visited Moscow in 1999.
The FO said Mr Khan’s meeting with President Putin would be “the highlight of the visit”.
The two leaders would during their meeting review the state of bilateral cooperation, especially in the energy sector, besides exchanging views on regional and global issues. The FO identified Afghanistan and Islamophobia as the two issues that they are expected to discuss.
The visit in fact resulted from PM Khan’s call to President Putin on Jan 17 for praising him for his criticism of the incidents of blasphemy in Western countries.
The prime minister had on that occasion tweeted that he had called President Putin “primarily to express appreciation for his emphatic statement that freedom of speech could not be a pretext to abuse our Holy Prophet (PBUH). He is the first Western leader to show empathy & sensitivity to Muslim sentiment for their beloved Holy Prophet (PBUH)”.Mr Putin appreciated Mr Khan’s gesture as it reinforced the perception that he was sympathetic to Muslim causes, especially in view of the Russia’s nearly 25 million strong Muslim community.
Relations between the former cold war foes have gradually improved over the past nearly 12 years. They were brought closer by developments in Afghanistan, transformation in geo-political environment and Russian concerns about terrorism and narcotics trafficking.
The upward trajectory in bilateral ties is visible from high-level engagements the two sides have held over these years and the institutional mechanisms they have established to sustain this momentum.
The two developments that in particular supported this rapprochement were the signing of a bilateral defence cooperation agreement in 2014 and Pakistan’s inclusion in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with Russian backing in 2017.
Both sides say their ties are marked by “mutual respect, trust and convergence of views on a range of international and regional issues”.
Although Islamabad-Moscow ties continue to remain security oriented, at the same time efforts are afoot for expanding economic cooperation. Russia is particularly interested in the energy sector and is likely to invest in the construction of the 1100km-long Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline that is planned for transporting gas from Karachi to Kasur. The two sides are currently negotiating shareholding and facilitation agreements of the project.