“It is perfectly fine,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that Islamabad respects Moscow’s relations with New Delhi.
Sharif informed the Russian President that Pakistan likewise desires close ties with Moscow during a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference in China.
“I want to express my gratitude for your support of Pakistan and your efforts to maintain regional equilibrium. It’s all right,” he responded, acknowledging that we value your relationship with India.
Sharif continued: “And we also want to build very strong relations … and these relations will be supplementary and complementary for the progress and prosperity of the region,” he stated.
After praising Putin, the Pakistani leader described him as “a dynamic leader” and stated that Islamabad aspires to collaborate closely with Russia.
In the past, Pakistan has been close to China, while India and Russia have had close connections. During Operation Sindoor, India used the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system to stop Pakistani drones and missiles.
Earlier in the meeting, Sharif was observed hurriedly following President Putin in an effort to get his attention and shake hands as Putin went with China’s Xi Jinping following the group photo of the leaders. The incident’s footage went popular on the internet.
