Overview

• Shehbaz Sharif met Vladimir Putin in China during the SCO summit in Tianjin, calling for a decisive strengthening of bilateral ties.
• Sharif said Pakistan respects Russia’s relations with India while seeking its own strong partnership with Moscow.
• He proposed expanded cooperation spanning trade connectivity, energy, agriculture, investment, defence, artificial intelligence, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
• Putin described the relationship as on an upward trajectory and highlighted the role of SCO collaboration in regional and global security.
• Sharif accepted an invitation to visit Russia in November for a SCO heads of government event, and the leaders discussed South Asia, Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Ukraine conflict, Palestine and Kashmir.