Prime Minister Imran Khan will embark on, what is being dubbed, a historic two-day visit to Russia on February 24.

Informed sources said Prime Minister Khan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Adviser on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf and other higher officials during the visit.

He will be undertaking the visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the visit, agreements on cooperation in various fields including trade, energy, industry and production will be signed, the sources said. The prime minister will invite the Russian president to visit Pakistan during his meeting with the latter.

The last time an elected Pakistani prime minister visited Russia was in March 1999 when then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif toured the country. There have since been multiple informal pull-aside meetings between the Russian president and Pakistani prime minister at different global forums.

PM Imran and Russian President Putin have also exchanged multiple telephone calls in recent times as well. Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday and lauded his “emphatic” statement on blasphemy.

This report was first published in Business Recorder on February 15, 2022.