FM Bilawal arrives in Moscow on two-day official visit

MOSCOW: Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday night arrived in Moscow, capital of Russia, on a two-day official visit, ARY News reported.

The minister was received by senior officials of Russian Foreign Ministry, Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia Shafqat Ali Khan and officials of the embassy.

According to the Foreign Office, the foreign minister is visiting the Russian Federation at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The two foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on Monday for official talks.

Bilawal Bhutto’s visit to Moscow comes a week after Pakistan and Russia signed an agreement on the supply of Russian oil products.

Addressing the press conference at the conclusion of the three-day IGC meeting last Friday, Minister for Economic Affairs, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had said that the 8th IGC would lay foundation of a ‘new relationship’ between Russia and Pakistan in different sectors including energy, economy, trade, technology, education and business to business transactions.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said both sides during the Inter-governmental Commission meeting had discussed cooperation in range of areas including rail transportation, food security, aviation, education, oil and gas, natural resources and opening up of financial arrangements between the two countries.

A few agreements of mutual cooperation would be signed and some of them were in the pipeline, he added.