ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has accepted President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to join the North-South International Transport Corridor and has begun the process of accession.
President Vladimir Putin had made the offer during State of the Union Address last year to Pakistan.
“Pakistan in principle has agreed to join the North-South International Transport Corridor and started the relevant procedure,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali said on Wednesday.
“We are heading towards that direction,” said the Ambassador said this while addressing the International IT-Forum, concluded in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia yesterday. He highlighted the strong bilateral relations between Pakistan and Russia, noting their cooperation on international platforms like the SCO and the UN.
He added, “We have requested assistance from our Russian friends in joining the BRICS.” Ambassador Jamali stated that Pakistan had successfully imported one million tons of Russian crude oil and expressed strong interest in securing a consistent supply of Russian oil and gas resources.
He said agriculture was identified as another promising area for collaboration, given Pakistan’s agricultural base with 69% of its population engaged in the sector. “Collaboration in the sphere of agriculture is yet another promising area of cooperation between Pakistan and Russia, as Pakistan is an agricultural country with 69% of population engaged in it,” the Ambassador stated. The ambassador emphasised revival of the Silk Route with the successful shipment of Pakistani citrus fruits to Dagestan via Iran and Azerbaijan. “We are trying to revive the historic Silk Route. The first shipment of Pakistani citrus fruits has reached Dagestan via Iran and Azerbaijan” Jamali said.
This new trade route signifies the potential for increased trade volume, which has already reached $1 billion, Ambassador Muhammad Khalid Jamali added.
The Ambassador further suggested that with Pakistan’s developed furniture industry and Russia’s abundant wood resources, the possibilities to consider wood exports from Russia to Pakistan could also be explored.
While acknowledging Russia’s strong education system, Ambassador Jamali further proposed that education is yet another important area of collaboration between our countries.
“More Pakistani students could be facilitated to study at Russian universities.
This move aligns with both countries’ desire for stronger people-to-people connections, as evidenced by the large Pakistani delegation attending the World Youth Forum in Sochi,” the Ambassador said.
