Pakistan's premier to visit Russia amid frosty US relations

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will head to Russia for a two-day visit on Feb. 23 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the government confirmed on Monday.

This will be Khan’s maiden trip to Russia and the first by a Pakistani prime minister since 1999.

He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes Cabinet members, said a statement by the Foreign Ministry.

Talks between Khan and Putin will be the highlight of the visit, which is taking place at a time when Moscow is locked in mounting tensions with the West over Ukraine.

Khan’s visit is also significant as Pakistan’s relations with longtime ally US grow increasingly frosty, mainly due to the Afghanistan issue and Islamabad’s growing economic and defense partnership with China.

Islamabad was a close partner of Washington during the Cold War, playing an instrumental role in Russia’s ouster from neighboring Afghanistan in 1989.

“Pakistan and Russia enjoy friendly relations marked by mutual respect, trust and convergence of views on a range of international and regional issues,” read the Foreign Ministry statement.

Khan and Putin will review the “entire array of bilateral relations including energy cooperation” and exchange of views on major regional and international issues, including Islamophobia and the situation in Afghanistan, it added.

The visit will help to further deepen “the multifaceted Pakistan-Russia bilateral relationship and enhancement of mutual cooperation in diverse fields,” the statement concluded.