Russian President Vladimir Putin likely to visit Pakistan this year

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Pakistan this year, officials here said.

President Putin is expected to inaugurate $2 billion south-north gas pipeline in Pakistan which will be executed by the Russian companies. Moscow and Islamabad moved to strengthen their relations following the end of Cold War and have achieved significant milestones over the time. The then Soviet Union and Pakistan first established the diplomatic and bilateral relations on May 1, 1948.

For the most of the Cold War, the Soviet Union relations with Pakistan have seen ups and downs during the different periods of Pakistan’s history. In 1947-50s, Soviet Union enjoyed relatively healthy and strong relations with Pakistan when it was under the civilian control but the relations went ultimately cold soon after the US-backed 1958 military coup d’état, although attempts to warm the relations were made after the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war, the relations were quickly improved and warmed.

A senior Pakistani official said efforts were underway to finalise the dates of Mr Putin’s visit through the diplomatic channels. A Russian diplomat said bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and Pakistan are on positive trajectory.

The Russian diplomat who requested not to be named said that Moscow and Islamabad are moving fast to strengthen bilateral relations in different fields including defence, trade and investment. He said both Russian Federation and Pakistan plan to conduct two separate military drills during the current year one between the armies to enhance cooperation in counter terrorism and other between their navies.