Russia has urged Pakistan to adopt a bold stance similar to India’s in resisting Western pressure to enhance economic ties with Moscow, according to reports. This message was conveyed by a Russian delegation during official meetings with Pakistani officials.
Despite this outreach, Islamabad has been cautious about committing to Moscow due to concerns over potential Western sanctions. The delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, is currently in Pakistan for an assessment mission and will compile a report for high-level review in Moscow before any further actions are taken by either country.
A Pakistani delegation, headed by Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, is scheduled to visit Moscow at the end of the month to explore opportunities for boosting bilateral cooperation across various sectors. Although there were initial plans for a larger ministerial group—including representatives from Petroleum, Industries and Production, and Commerce—the government has opted for a more streamlined delegation of Ahsan Iqbal and senior officials.
Sources indicate that Russian deputy ministers, akin to federal secretaries in Pakistan, have already engaged in discussions with Pakistani ministers to identify ways to strengthen economic relations. During talks about enhancing trade, both countries considered the potential for utilizing land routes for commerce, particularly through Afghanistan and Iran. However, trade through Afghanistan appears impractical due to tense relations between Islamabad and Kabul, while the Iranian route is complicated by current geopolitical issues.
In response, Russia has proposed that Pakistan consider using local or third-party currencies, such as the Chinese RMB or UAE dirham, along with Russia’s banking messaging system, to facilitate trade without external pressures. These suggestions were initially presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during their meeting at the SCO Summit in Astana this past July.
Putin highlighted the feasibility of using the Russian banking messaging system for bilateral trade and implementing third-party currencies to circumvent pressure from other nations. Additionally, an official statement from Pakistan’s Commerce Ministry noted that Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Federal Minister for Industries, Production, and National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain met with Russian Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergey Levin to discuss these trade initiatives.
