ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday agreed to closely cooperate for regional peace and security, the prime minister's office said.
Khan's phone interaction with Putin comes 10 days after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, with Pakistan and other regional powers looking to cement their grip on the region.
During the call, they discussed ways to cooperate under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an intergovernmental organization comprising China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, focused mainly on regional security issues.
"The two leaders agreed to closely cooperate within the SCO for promoting regional peace and security," Khan's office said in a statement. "The two leaders exchanged views on the evolving situation in Afghanistan and bilateral relations."
Moscow maintains close ties with Central Asia's former Soviet republics — most of which are SCO members and three border Afghanistan — as it regards the region as part of its sphere of interest.
Together with the US and China, Russia is also involved in the Troika platform on Afghanistan. Pakistan is a part of its extended platform, the Troika Plus.
"The Prime Minister underscored the importance of coordinated approaches in addressing the evolving situation and noted that Pakistan attached high importance of the role of the Troika Plus format," Khan's office said.
A day earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that his country and others, including Pakistan, could serve as mediators in Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi left on a regional diplomacy tour that includes visits to Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, to discuss the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and present Pakistan’s perspective.
The foreign minister has said his visit aims to promote a coordinated regional approach as well as strengthen Pakistan’s engagement with Central and West Asia.
“Pakistan believes that the neighboring countries have a vital stake in the peace, security and stability of Afghanistan and the region,” a statement released by Qureshi’s office said. “It is important to coordinate closely with the neighbours to address common challenges and advance shared goals of peace, security, stability and regional connectivity.”
