The Russian Senators are committed to promoting Russia’s multifaceted cooperation with Pakistan and region-to-region ties, the Federation Council Speaker said.
The visit by the Federation Council’s parliamentary delegation to Islamabad is a step towards strengthening political and parliamentary dialogue between Russia and Pakistan. It builds on the positive track record of bilateral contacts at the highest and high levels, as well as within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and other regional and international organisations.
This was the gist of Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko’s message when she addressed a special plenary session of the Senate of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Federation Council Speaker heads the upper chamber’s delegation during an official visit to Pakistan.
In her remarks, Valentina Matvienko talked about long-standing ties between the two countries. “Moscow and Islamabad have maintained dialogue even in the most challenging times. Today, we can only welcome the fact that Russia and Pakistan hold close views on most international matters. Ensuring security in Central Asia would serve the interests of both countries,” she said.
The Federation Council Speaker said that she was convinced that Russia and Pakistan would maintain their mutual understanding on global security and stability, preventing the deployment of weapons in outer space, banning biological, chemical and toxin weapons, preventing illegal sanctions, and cutting short efforts to politicise humanitarian cooperation, including in sports.
Moscow and Islamabad have been consistent in calling for reinforcing the UN’s central coordinating role in international affairs, Valentina Matvienko pointed out.
“Russia welcomes Pakistan’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2025 and 2026. I strongly believe that Pakistan would make a meaningful contribution to improving the Security Council’s performance and will help it deliver on its noble mission of ensuring global peace and security,” she said.
The Federation Council Speaker went on to say that Russia has been keeping a close eye on Islamabad’s aspirations to step up its cooperation with BRICS. “This group has already established itself as a new centre of a multipolar world order, and all its participants have spoken out in favour of equality, neighbourly relations and mutual respect. I know that the Senate of Pakistan shares these values and wants to assert them on the international stage. We also want parliamentarians to step up their joint efforts in multilateral settings, including within the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly,” she noted.
Russian Senators believe that stepping up cooperation between parliamentary friendship groups, as well as specific committees of the two upper chambers holds a lot of promise, Valentina Matvienko pointed out, adding that improving the bilateral legal framework provided another possible avenue for bilateral cooperation. “We have a lot of work ahead on this front, including for steadily expanding and diversifying our trade and economic ties,” she said.
The Federation Council Speaker reminded the audience that these relations rest on a solid foundation which has passed the test of time. In fact, the Soviet Union helped develop Pakistan’s oil and gas industry, built major energy facilities, and supplied agricultural hardware. In the 1970s and the 1980s, the USSR took part in building the Karachi Steel Mill, which came to symbolise friendship between the two countries. “We will be proactive in building on these traditions of cooperation. Last year, Russia-Pakistan trade exceeded $1 billion for the first time. In the first eight months of 2024, it increased by another 13 percent, and we will do everything to sustain this momentum considering the immense potential we have,” the Speaker emphasised.
Valentina Matvienko focused in her remarks on energy and agricultural production by saying that Russia has been contributing to Pakistan’s food security by increasing grain deliveries to the Pakistani market.
The Federation Council Speaker also mentioned efforts to develop international transport corridors, primarily the North-South International Trade Corridor. “This route is expected to improve connectivity between countries in Northern Eurasia and the Global South, and Russia stands ready to expand this initiative, while welcoming Pakistan’s interest in this project,” she said.
Valentina Matvienko also talked about stepping up cooperation in education, culture, tourism and sport. “We are seeing progress in terms of recognising university and academic degrees, and there has been positive momentum in terms of promoting friendly youth ties. Pakistan has recently cancelled visa fees, which is expected to have a positive impact on tourist flows. Launching direct flights is on the agenda too. These steps are designed to promote closer people-to-people ties and reinforce good relations between Russia and Pakistan,” the Federation Council Speaker pointed out.
On a separate note, the Federation Council Speaker discussed efforts to promote harmony in inter-faith and inter-ethnic affairs, preserving traditional spiritual and moral values, protecting families, motherhood and childhood. She also mentioned the fact that women play an increasingly important role in politics and community life in both Russia and Pakistan.
Valentina Matvienko also described the Federation Council as a chamber of regions. In this context, she told the audience that Russian regions were eager to forge closer ties with Pakistan’s provinces and to develop close-knit region-to-region relations. “I have no doubt that as parliamentarians we need to do more on this front to support this momentum,” she said.
In conclusion, the Federation Council Speaker called on the parliamentarians from both countries to further strengthen cooperation between Russia and Pakistan.
The Federation Council delegation included Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrey Denisov, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Defence and Security and Head of the Group on Cooperation between the Federation Council and the Senate of Pakistan Vladimir Chizhov, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture Lyudmila Skakovskaya, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on the Budget and Financial Markets Mukharby Ulbashev, and Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy and member of the Group on Cooperation between the Federation Council and the Senate of Pakistan Yury Fedorov.