Summary Pakistan and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in trade, energy, education, investment and people-to-people ties during a high-level webinar on bilateral relations.
MOSCOW (Dunya News) – Pakistan and Russia have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture, education, investment and people-to-people exchanges, stressing the need to transform the positive political climate between the two countries into a strong and practical economic partnership.
The consensus emerged during a high-level webinar titled "Pakistan–Russia: Strengthening Trade, Education & Energy Collaboration," attended by senior government officials, diplomats, business leaders, academics and policymakers from both countries.
Addressing the webinar, Federal Minister for Energy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari said Pakistan and Russia possess significant potential for cooperation in trade, energy and connectivity. He noted that improved logistics, transportation links and economic connectivity could substantially boost bilateral trade.
Leghari said relations between Pakistan and Russia have strengthened over the past two decades on the basis of mutual trust and shared interests, adding that Russia could become an important partner for Pakistan in the fields of energy, infrastructure and investment.
Pakistan's Ambassador to Russia, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, said Pakistan would extend every possible support to promote investment, trade and business-to-business linkages. He described student exchange programmes as the foundation of long-term bilateral relations and said improved visa facilitation could further accelerate tourism, trade and economic cooperation.
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The ambassador also reaffirmed the Pakistani Embassy's commitment to working closely with Russian institutions, universities and the business community to further enhance bilateral economic engagement.
The webinar was also addressed by Boris Burmistrov, Deputy Director of the Second Asia Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, and Russia's Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Alexey Grozdev. The speakers stressed the importance of strengthening trade, industrial cooperation, payment systems, logistics and business connectivity, saying both countries have considerable untapped economic potential.
Executive Director of the Centre for International Strategic Studies Sindh, Qazi Khalilullah, described the energy sector as the cornerstone of Pakistan-Russia relations and called for greater collaboration on regional energy projects with possible Russian participation.
Speaking on business cooperation, Dmitry Antonov highlighted the need to strengthen maritime trade, cooperation between chambers of commerce, agricultural partnerships, logistics networks and engagement with the Eurasian Economic Union. He also called for a more active role by the private sector in both countries.
Discussing education, Dr Asma Naveed said the Russian language could serve as a bridge for stronger bilateral cooperation. She emphasized promoting Russian language education, joint research projects and exchanges of students and faculty members.
Dr Svetlana Minyurova of the Russian Academy of Education urged both countries to expand cooperation in educational research, teacher training, digital education and joint scientific initiatives.
In the concluding session, Russian geopolitical expert Dr Roxolana Zigon said mutual trust between Pakistan and Russia has grown significantly and called for stronger public diplomacy, academic partnerships, research collaboration, business engagement and youth exchanges. She described education and language as the foundation of a lasting strategic partnership.
At the conclusion of the webinar, participants reaffirmed their commitment to converting the existing political goodwill between Pakistan and Russia into practical cooperation across trade, energy, education, science, investment and people-to-people relations.
