Warming of ties with Russia.

PEOPLE of Pakistan would surely welcome repeated over

tures from Moscow to deepen and broaden relationship with Islamabad in a meaningful way. The four- day visit of the 64-member delegation headed by Russian Minister for Trade and Industries to attend Inter-Governmental Commission meeting speaks volumes about growing interest of the Russian Federation to warm up ties with Pakistan in different fields to the mutual advantage.

Russia has been demonstrating its interest to fortify relations with Pakistan in the fields like power, oil and gas and steel. It is, however,

regrettable that the pace of progress in realizing plans and commitments into practical projects and programmes is not satisfactory. To quote an example, it was in February this year that a Russian delegation, headed by Gazprom Management Committee Deputy Chairman Vitaly A Markelov, pledged an investment of $14 billion in offshore gas pipeline project, North South Pipeline Project and underground gas storages in Pakistan but concrete progress is not visible as yet. Similarly, Igor Vladimirovich Kim, Chairman of ExpoBank, a leading Russian investment bank offered to invest in Pakistan's manufacturing sector by introducing innovative...