Pakistan, Russia mark 70 years of diplomatic relations

Pakistan and Russia on Tuesday marked the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations.

The Pakistan Foreign Office, in a statement on Tuesday, paying tribute to the seven decades of relations between the two countries, said the Pakistan-Russia friendship is fast evolving into a mature partnership, Geo TV reported.

"Relations between the two countries are today characterised by mutual trust, commonality of interests, and convergence of views on important regional and global issues. Both countries have similar stakes in durable peace and stability in their common neighbourhood, and harbour shared aspirations for regional development and prosperity," the statement read.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Muhammad Asif have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in counterterrorism, economic, trade and other fields, Xinhua news agency reported.

The ministers exchanged messages on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Both Lavrov and Asif expressed satisfaction about the development of bilateral relations and their two countries' constructive interaction concerning global affairs within the frameworks of the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), it said.

"Russia has been a strong supporter of Pakistan's membership of SCO which affords another useful platform for close cooperation on matters of common concern," the Pakistan Foreign Office said in its statement, Geo TV reported.

"Pakistan views Russia as an important global power, a significant development partner, and a salient contributor to regional stability. We believe that long-term multidimensional strategic partnership between the two countries will be mutually beneficial for the people of Pakistan and the Russian Federation and would contribute towards regional peace and stability," the statement added.

--IANS

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