Pakistan and Russia have launched a direct shipping service for the first time in a bid to strengthen trade, economic and energy ties between the two nations.
After Saturday’s inauguration ceremony in Karachi, the ship with 36,000 tons of goods left Karachi port for St. Petersburg. A tanker carrying Russian crude is expected to arrive in Karachi from Saint Petersburg later this week.
Minister of State for Petroleum and Energy Musaddik Malik told the media that this is the first direct shipping line to be launched between Pakistan and Russia and will lead to more bilateral trade and economic ties.
“We want to make it clear that Pakistan is not in any camp. We are trying to trade with the US, we are told we are in the US camp. We do business with China, we are told that we have partnered with China. The truth is we are only doing what is in the interest of Pakistan,” Malik said.
“We are only trying to get cheap oil for our energy needs from Russia,” he said. A container ship from Pakistan will arrive in Saint Petersburg in 18 days. Russian Consul General in Karachi Andrey Viktorovich said that his country wants to strengthen trade relations with Pakistan.
Qazi Muhammad Khalil, former ambassador to Moscow, said that Pakistan has a lot of scope to export rice, fruits, vegetables, sports goods and textiles to Russia and a direct shipping line between the two countries will help increase trade and business ties. between the two countries.
In recent years, Pakistan’s ties with Russia have transcended bitter Cold War animosity. Currently struggling with high foreign debt and a weak local currency, Pakistan is desperate to buy cheap oil at concessional rates from Russia. Cash-strapped countries are struggling to revive a derailed $6.5 billion IMF bailout that the Washington-based global lender approved in 2019.
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