Ambassador of Russia to Pakistan, Albert P. Khorev, has said that Moscow is currently prioritising contacts with Islamabad in the field of regional security and the fight against international terrorism, while enhancing coordination in multilateral forums.
The details of his interview with the TASS News Agency released by the Embassy of Russian Federation highlighted that the envoy said, “currently, we are prioritising contacts in the field of regional security and the fight against international terrorism.”
He added that cooperation between Pakistan and Russia were being strengthened primarily at the level of the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), where both states are active participants.
He said that Russia acknowledges the constructive collaboration with Pakistani partners within the SCO to ensure regional security and combating terrorism and organised transnational crime.
Pakistan and Russia have in recent years sought to broaden cooperation in defence, energy and regional stability, with both sides emphasising the importance of coordinated efforts to address evolving security challenges.
The latest remarks underscore Moscow’s intent to deepen institutional and subnational engagement with Islamabad amid shifting regional dynamics.
The bilateral relations between the two countries have improved significantly in recent years and the advisor to the Prime MInister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan has been vying to develop joint ventures with Russian companies to revive the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and establishing ‘Insulin’ production plant in Pakistan.
The Russian envoy too mentioned it in his interview and said that in coming years, it is crucial to promote mutual trade between Russia and Pakistan.
“These projects include the revival of the Pakistan Still Mills, establishing rail connections between Russia and Pakistan, collaborating on hydropower, and creating joint ventures to produce medicines, including insulin,” Mr Khorev added.
However, he also stressed the need to develop reliable alternative payment mechanisms, and implement large-scale joint projects.
“Russia welcomes Pakistan’s interest in joining BRICS.
“One practical step toward integrating Pakistan into BRICS could be Islamabad’s accession to the New Development Bank, which finances infrastructure projects in developing countries,” he said.
The Russian envoy referred to the historic perspective that USSR had helped Pakistan establish the state-owned oil and gas company, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), in the 1960s, and it assisted in discovering a number of oil and gas fields in Pakistan.
“Currently Pakistan is interested in cooperating with our country in oil exploration and production, Russia is ready to help Pakistan strengthen its energy sovereignty,” he said adding,”We already have positive experience in this area.”
Apart from these sectors the two countries were also paying special attention to strengthening ties in education, science, and culture.
He highlighted that to improve the people to people relations his country was actively working to promote the Russian language in Pakistan.
The ‘Russian Teachers Abroad’ is a federal project of his country in Pakistan in this regard and Mr Khorev added, “ We also facilitate the organisation of joint scientific conferences and cultural and sporting events.”
He noted that bilateral engagement is also expanding beyond federal governments, with growing interest in cooperation between cities and regions of the two countries.
According to the ambassador, Moscow and several Russian regions — including Moscow, Republic of Tatarstan and Primorsky Krai — have expressed interest in developing ties with Pakistan’s provinces of Punjab and Sindh.
He said such regional-level engagement holds promise for strengthening trade, economic interaction and people-to-people contacts.
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