Pakistan is set to start local production of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V in the coming months.
It was revealed by Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, during a press briefing along with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, after a delegation-level meeting in Islamabad.
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Qureshi noted that Pakistan privately imported 50,000 doses of Sputnik V last month and will import another 150,000 doses of the Russian vaccine in the next few weeks.
Besides, Sergey Lavrov said that Russia has agreed to supply military equipment to Pakistan, adding that both sides have decided to expand bilateral defense ties, especially in the counter-terrorism domain.
He also expressed satisfaction with more than 46% increase in bilateral trade which reached $790 million over the last year.
Both foreign ministers agreed to strengthen and diversify economic cooperation in the energy, infrastructure, defense, and healthcare sectors.
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In a separate development, the Russian Foreign Minister called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad today. Both dignitaries discussed bilateral relations and issues of regional and global importance.
During the meeting, PM Imran shared Pakistan’s perspective on issues of peace and security in South Asia, including the need for peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and stressed the importance of a negotiated political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan.
