Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he expects further strengthening of relations between Moscow and Islamabad.
"Relations with Russia are progressing positively, we want them to become even stronger," the Pakistani foreign minister, who is on an official visit to Japan, said in an interview with the NHK television channel. Bhutto Zardari expressed his confidence that strengthening relations with Russia is necessary against the backdrop of global economic instability.
Commenting on the topic of Russian oil supplies, the Pakistani foreign minister stressed that they are aimed at meeting the country's energy needs. "It is not about shifting imports from one side to the other: in the face of the energy crisis, our goal is to meet the energy needs of our people," he was quoted as saying.
As stated earlier by Minister of State for Petroleum of Pakistan Musadik Malik, Islamabad has purchased 100 thousand tons of Russian oil and intends to continue its imports. It was reported that Islamabad has opened an account in the People's Bank of China to pay for oil deliveries to Russia in Chinese currency. RMB payments will help Pakistan avoid Western sanctions for importing Russian oil, as well as difficulties in payments due to the shortage of dollars in the country.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Federation Council
Based on materials from TASS