Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said Pakistan is an important partner for Russia in South Asia, media reports said.

The Russian president’s comments came during a meeting with PM Nawaz on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, The Tribune quoted Radio Pakistan. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, including trade and economic cooperation, and also current international issues during the meeting.

Putin said Russian-Pakistani relations have been constructive and mutually beneficial. “Our relations are developing in many areas, and our trade has increased, even if only by a few percentage points. Of course, we are able to do much more than we are doing now,” he said.

Putin also congratulated PM Nawaz on Pakistan’s accession to the SCO and said he was “glad that we met for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.”

Pakistan, along with India, on Friday became a full member of the SCO, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asserting that Pakistan “will strive to achieve collective objectives of the organisation for regional cooperation, connectivity and economic prosperity”.

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