ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interim information minister, Murtaza Solangi, separately met Russian and Chinese officials this week and sought partnerships and collaboration in TV and radio projects as well as training initiatives and journalist delegation exchanges.
Solangi is on a visit to China for the Television Festival 2023 organized by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Nanjing on September 25.
On the sidelines of the festival, the minister held bilateral discussions with the Chinese Minister for National Radio and TV, Cao Shumin, and Russia’s Deputy Minister for Information, Bela Cherkesova.
Addressing the SCO Television Festival here, Solangi said cooperation among its members in the fields of radio, television and other audio-visual products “was a manifestation of the success of the organization.”
“Collaboration in mainstream media and social media is very important to promote communication at the public level,” Solangi said, calling on SCO member countries to increase joint publication projects and documentaries.
In his meeting with the Chinese minister for radio and TV, the two politicians “expressed their resolve to enhance cooperation in the areas of television and radio and vowed to promote innovation in media technology and exchange of journalist delegations.”
The minister also called for initiating a Chinese Hour program on Pakistan’s state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) to promote the activities of Chinese media in Pakistan.
Solangi separately met with the Russian deputy information minister, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to promote cooperation in mass media and initiate joint production and training programs.
Cherkesova accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan. Noting the popularity of Pakistani television dramas in Russia, she discussed the possibility of exchanging plays and other productions between the two countries.
Pakistan and China are decades-old allies, especially through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) of energy and infrastructure projects for which Beijing has pledged over $60 billion in Pakistan since 2015. Pakistan’s relations with Russia have also improved recently and Islamabad has brought oil on discounted rates from Moscow.
