Islamabad (TDI): Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk is set to arrive in Pakistan on Wednesday on a two-days visit.
The Foreign Office said in a statement that the Russian Deputy PM will be visiting with a high-level delegation and will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and his counterpart Ishaq Dar.
The visit of Overchuk coincides with the consideration of LNG transactions by both nations.
Earlier this month, Russia had communicated that its LNG export terminals would be ready for gas trade with Pakistan in 2026, given that the two long-term agreements under government-to-government arrangements would trigger the price re-opening clause with Qatar in 2026.
Also read: Pakistan Hosts Sri Lankan Defense Command Delegation
It would be interesting to watch what the Russian deputy PM visit would involves, as the coalition administration led by PM Shehbaz works to address a number of issues, many of which are economic in nature.
President Zardari and Russian officials met in April, during which the latter offered assistance with the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), which were established with Moscow’s help.
The Ministry of Industries and Production has also reported to the National Assembly that Russia was thinking of building a new steel mill.
Islamabad was also offered Moscow’s assistance in restarting the steel factories in July by Russian Consul General Andrey Viktorovich Fedorov.
A Russian delegation was supposed to visit to negotiate the construction of a cutting-edge steel mill on the PSM’s current site.
Also read: UAE Pakistan Fraternal Ties: Discussed in London Talks
With President Vladimir Putin of Russia, PM Shehbaz also discussed the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation in a number of areas during their July meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the fringes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State.
In recent months, Pakistan has welcomed a number of high-ranking dignitaries from different nations, such as President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan’s two-day official visit in July.
His visit had been preceded by the arrival in April of the late Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi.