ISLAMABAD: Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev highlighted the potential for expanding trade and economic cooperation with Pakistan in a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. Kolokoltsev arrived in Pakistan on Monday on a four-day visit at the invitation of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, marking the first instance of a Russian interior minister visiting Pakistan. According to a statement issued by the PMO, in a meeting with the premier on Wednesday, Kolokoltsev highlighted the “significant potential for expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation” between the two countries. He conveyed Russia’s desire to further strengthen bilateral ties and expand cooperation in areas of shared interest, while expressing his country’s readiness to further enhance bilateral engagement with Pakistan, the statement said. The Russian minister also appreciated Pakistan’s support at various multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations. Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further deepening its friendly relations with Russia and making “effective use of existing bilateral mechanisms to advance mutually beneficial cooperation”, the PMO said. “He underscored the need to expand cooperation across areas of mutual interest, particularly trade and investment, energy, and economic development,” it added. The premier expressed satisfaction over the positive momentum in Pakistan-Russia relations and stressed the importance of building on this momentum to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. Russian minister meets CDF, discusses defence cooperation Kolokoltsev also called on Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, where both sides stressed the importance of bolstering defence cooperation between Islamabad and Moscow. According to a statement from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), both sides discussed matters of mutual interest and the regional security landscape, with emphasis on strengthening bilateral security cooperation. “They underscored the importance of closer institutional linkages and improved coordination between the security institutions of Pakistan and Russia,” the statement said. It added that CDF Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to “deepen its longstanding relations with Russia and expand tangible cooperation in areas of shared interest, particularly in the security domain”. Kolokoltsev also expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s contributions to regional peace and stability, acknowledging the professionalism and sacrifices of Pakistani forces in the fight against terrorism, the statement concluded. Pakistan, Russia agree to finalise extradition treaty Earlier in the day, Pakistan and Russia agreed to finalise an extradition treaty and pledged to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in preventing organised crime and exchanging information. The understanding was reached during a meeting between Naqvi and Kolokolstev in Islamabad. The meeting was followed by delegation-level talks, the interior ministry said in a statement. According to the PMO, the signing of the MoU was witnessed by the prime minister. Naqvi, during the meeting, said the proposed MoU on prevention of organised crime would be an important milestone in cooperation between the two countries. The two sides pledged to enhance mutual cooperation in areas of shared interests as they agreed to finalise an extradition treaty and an agreement on the exchange of criminals. Both sides resolved to promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest and decided to ensure early implementation of a readmission agreement, according to the statement. They also agreed to enhance cooperation between the Anti-Narcotics Force and relevant Russian institutions. It was agreed in the meeting that working groups from the interior ministries of both countries would soon visit each other. The two sides also discussed sending skilled manpower from Pakistan to Russia and facilitating visa acquisition for tourists and the business community, as per the statement. They agreed to enhance cooperation for the prevention of cybercrime between the National Police Academy and the Russian Police Academy, the statement said. Naqvi said easing the visa regime would increase people-to-people contact between the two countries. He also expressed desire to benefit from Russia’s experiences in curbing cybercrime. He further noted that at present, 1,300 Pakistani students were studying in Russia and Pakistan wanted more students to study there. Russian Interior Minister Kolokolstev, for his part, said joint measures were essential for the prevention of all organised crime, including terrorism, drug smuggling, and illegal migration. He said Russia had brought a 33 per cent reduction in cybercrime through effective measures. The meeting was attended by Minister of State Tallal Chaudhry, the Russian ambassador in Pakistan, special and additional secretaries to interior and other senior officials. The Russian minister also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Naqvi and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry were also part of the meeting, the Foreign Office (FO) said. “Dar expressed satisfaction at the positive momentum in Pakistan-Russia relations, welcoming recent high-level visits and exchanges,” it said. “The two sides discussed avenues for enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, culture and tourism, strengthening people-to-people ties, and maintaining close cooperation at multilateral fora, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation,” the FO added. In recent years, Pakistan and Russia have significantly strengthened their economic ties, driven by mutual necessity. In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Moscow’s relations with Pakistan were “genuinely mutually beneficial” and that it maintained close ties with Islamabad. Last July, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk called Pakistan and Russia “natural allies”, stressing that Putin viewed Islamabad as an important strategic partner in the areas of economy and energy. Following Western sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict, Moscow turned toward new energy outlets, while Islamabad simultaneously sought more affordable fuel sources to reduce national import expenses. This diplomatic shift culminated in 2023, when Pakistan officially integrated Russian crude oil into its energy portfolio.