Russia says advancing partnership with Pakistan ‘one of the priorities’ of its regional policy

​​​​​​​By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that advancing its partnership with Pakistan is “one of the priorities” of Moscow’s policy in South Asia amid talks with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

“The advancement of our constructive partnership stands as one of the priorities of the Russian Federation’s policy in South Asia. Our relations continue to develop dynamically. We share common approaches to the majority of key international issues,” Lavrov said in opening remarks during the meeting with his Pakistani counterpart in Moscow.

Dar arrived Monday in Moscow, where he led Islamabad's delegation at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government, which took place Tuesday.

Lavrov expressed that Moscow and Islamabad maintain close collaboration across various international formats, including the SCO.

“Naturally, there is the United Nations, where recent developments have been particularly contentious, a subject I look forward to discussing with you today, especially given Pakistan’s role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council,” he added.

The Pakistani foreign minister thanked his Russian counterpart for the warm hospitality, arguing that the SCO meeting built on the organization’s summit in China earlier this year.

The Chinese city of Tianjin hosted the 25th summit of the SCO Heads of State Council, which took place between Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.