UPDATE - Russia's Putin, Pakistan’s Khan discuss bilateral, regional issues in Moscow

UPDATES WITH PRIME MINISTER KHAN'S REMARKS ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE TENSIONS, MEETING WITH RUSSIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Moscow on Thursday amid high tensions between Moscow and Kyiv.

A brief statement by the Kremlin said the two leaders discussed “the main aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on current regional topics, including developments in South Asia.”

Earlier in the day, Khan, who is in the Russian capital on a two-day visit, attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall.

The meeting came hours after Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine, drawing international condemnation and vows of tougher sanctions on Moscow.

A statement issued by Pakistan’s Prime Minister House said Khan “regretted the latest situation between Russia and Ukraine and said that Pakistan had hoped diplomacy could avert a military conflict.”

Shahbaz Gill, Khan’s advisor on political communication, said the meeting lasted for nearly three hours.

Later, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak along with his delegation also met with Pakistan’s prime minister.

The two sides discussed economic relations, with a special focus on cooperation in the field of energy, according to Pakistan Prime Minister’s House.

The historic bilateral visit, first by a Pakistani prime minister in 23 years, is part of efforts to bury their cold-war rivalry and enter into a new era of cooperation.