Russia has notified Pakistan that the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), originally scheduled for the end of July, was postponed until the autumn, during which the leaders of the two countries, Imran Khan and Vladimir Putin, were expected to meet.
Pakistani Ambassador in Moscow Shafqat Ali Khan told RIA Novosti.
The BRICS and SCO summits were scheduled for July 21-23, but against the background of the pandemic, it was decided to postpone the events to the autumn.
"We are in close contact with the Russian side. We understand that the summit was originally scheduled for July, but the event was postponed due to the coronavirus situation. The new date, I think, will be set for the autumn, we will be informed in due time, " the Pakistani diplomat said.
He added, that during the summit, "of course, there will be a meeting" between the leaders of the two countries.
Speaking about current high-level contacts between Russia and Pakistan, Khan said that if necessary, "it will not be a problem for both leaders to hold a telephone conversation as soon as possible." The Ambassador of Pakistan also expressed hope that the upcoming SCO summit will be crowned with success.
The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. At the SCO summit in Astana on June 9, 2017, the leaders of the SCO member states signed a decision on the admission of India and Pakistan to the organization.
Pakistan aims to increase military-technical cooperation with Russia
The diplomat also said that Pakistan is satisfied with the current level of military-technical cooperation with Russia and seeks to further increase its volume.
Over the past 5-10 years, he said, military cooperation between the two countries has grown significantly.
"We look forward to further developing this relationship. Of course, arms purchases and deliveries are part of this relationship. This is an ongoing process, but I can assure you that we are satisfied with the level of cooperation we have achieved," Khan said.
At the same time, the diplomat stressed, Islamabad does not intend to stop there.
"We want to move on and we are sure that this is the right direction. There is political support from the top management (of the country). We are confident that significant progress will be made in this area, as in others," Khan added.
Russia and Pakistan signed an agreement on defense cooperation in November 2014. At the moment, Moscow has delivered a batch of Mi-35 attack helicopters to the Pakistani side. Also in 2017, representatives of the Pakistani authorities declared their interest in purchasing Russian T-90 tanks, electronic equipment, and air defense systems.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"