NEW DELHI: After he ends his India visit next week on April 6, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov will hop over to Pakistan for a rare two-day visit. The visit to Islamabad is certain to raise eyebrows here at a time the two countries, according to Pakistani authorities, have succeeded in developing some “strategic trust”.
Russia’s growing ties with Pakistan, including in the military domain where the two countries have been conducting joint exercises, remains a thorny issue in its ties with India despite repeated assurances by Moscow that it will do nothing to jeopardize India’s security. Russian authorities said Lavrov would discuss economic cooperation and counter-terrorism issues with his counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The Russian foreign ministry on Thursday announced Lavrov’s visits, saying while he would visit India April 5-6, the minister would travel to Pakistan April 6-7.
PAKISTAN-RUSSIA RELATIONS
Pakistan–Russia relations or Russo-Pakistani relations refer to the bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Russian Federation. The Soviet Union and Pakistan first established diplomatic and bilateral relations on 1 May 1948. On May 1, 2018, Pakistan celebrated the 70th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with Russia. For most of the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s relations with Pakistan have seen ups and downs during the different periods in the history of Pakistan. From 1947 to the 1950s, the Soviet Union enjoyed relatively healthy and strong relations with Pakistan when it was under civilian control, but they went ultimately cold soon after the US-backed 1958 military coup
