Daily Times

Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Russia in September, a private TV channel reported on Saturday.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has accepted the Russian president’s invitation, which was extended last month in a conversation between the two leaders on the sidelines of the 19th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State (CHS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek.

According to the report, the Russian president invited Prime Minister Imran Khan to attend as a special guest the Eastern Economic Forum, which is scheduled to be held from September 4 to 6 in the Russian city of Vladivostok. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend the forum. The Pakistani prime minister and the Russian president held several informal discussions as they attended the SCO summit last month. The two world leaders engaged in conversation on several occasions. Observers said that, of the world leaders present at the SCO meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan interacted with President Putin the most. Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Putin were also seen sitting next to each other during lunch as they remained engaged in conversation. The two were also seen standing next to each other during the photo sessions. The Eastern Economic Forum is an international forum held each year since 2015 in September, in Vladivostok, Russia. The forum seeks to encourage foreign investment in the Russian Far East.

Pakistan and Russia have both been on the same page regarding bringing long-term peace to Afghanistan. In December 2018, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi visited Russia during a whirlwind four-nation tour. The two sides agreed to continue efforts, including through Moscow Format of Consultations, for supporting reconciliation under an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, the Foreign Office had said at the time. Russain Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in his meeting with Qureshi, had ‘acknowledged’ Pakistan’s efforts to achieve a political settlement in Afghanistan and offered his country’s support to bring stability in the region, according to the statement. The two leaders had also discussed bilateral relations and developments in the regional situation, with Qureshi stating that Islamabad greatly valued its relations with Moscow.