Meeting with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister,

I am very glad to see you. We met two years ago, also on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, where we had the opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and our cooperation on the international stage.

I would like to note that during this time, relations between the two countries have been developing in business-like and friendly spirit. We can also see a growth in trade, and prospects in this sphere look great.

I would like to particularly emphasise two key areas: cooperation in the energy and agro-industrial sectors. We have started supplying energy resources to Pakistan, and we are ready to further increase these supplies. As per your request, Russia is actively working to support Pakistan's food security by increasing grain supplies to the Pakistani market.

Our foreign ministries also cooperate in various international organisations and on international platforms, as I have already mentioned, including the United Nations.

Mr Prime Minister,

We are happy to see that our friendly relations have thrived over the decades. I hope that our meeting today will contribute to further strengthening the ties between Russia and Pakistan.

I am delighted to see you, Mr Prime Minister.

Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif: Thank you very much, Mr President. It is really a great honour and a pleasure to meet you, and I am very happy to meet you after we met in Samarkand on the sidelines of the SCO.

Once again, I would like to congratulate you on your re-election, and I am sure the Russian Federation will further progress under your able leadership.

Mr President, I am very happy to share with you that our bilateral relations have had a positive trajectory over the last many years. This is a matter of great comfort for us and I would like to work with you closely to further cement our relations. We have a whole lot to do, and we can benefit from your experience. We can certainly enhance our trade, which is at the moment approaching US$1 billion. And, of course, on my request, you were very kind to promote cooperation in the field of energy, and we received a shipment of oil from your great country, and I am very grateful for that. We really need to further move in this direction.

Your Excellency, our relations stand on our own strength. Neither our relations are driven by any geopolitical contingency, nor are they impacted by our relations with other countries. Pakistan has very long-standing business relations with your great country. If you remember, I mentioned it to you last time: during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, we had bilateral trade under barter. We used to import a lot of machinery and goods from erstwhile Soviet Russia, and we used to export textile and leather goods to your country, and it was under barter. I think that today is the time we can overcome financial and other banking issues by renewing our trade and expanding our trade under barter. That will be very beneficial to Pakistan, and we will be able to overcome lots of many other problems.

Mr President, once again I would like to thank you for this opportunity. I would like to assure you, on my behalf and on behalf of the people of Pakistan, that we really want to further strengthen our relations.

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