ISLAMABAD, November 18. /TASS/. Russia and Pakistan have considerably improved their bilateral relations in recent years, increasing the scale of cooperation based on mutual interest, Russian Ambassador to the Islamic Republic Albert Khorev said at a roundtable, organized by the Islamabad Institute of Strategic Studies.

"In recent years, the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Russia have demonstrated steady and considerable growth. Our political dialogue has become more open, constructive, and future-oriented. We have broadened cooperation across multiple areas - energy, trade, security, counter-terrorism, and humanitarian coordination," he said. Khorev noted that, over the past two years, Moscow and Islamabad recorded a significant increase in turnover, despite numerous obstacles, including illegal Western sanctions.

According to the Russian envoy, the countries pursue discussions on a number of joint economic projects, including the reconstruction of the Karachi Steel Mills in the Sindh province. These topics will be discussed among others at the meeting of the Russia-Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, taking place in Islamabad next week, Khorev added.

The ambassador announced expanded cooperation in education, with Russia tripling the number of government scholarships awarded to students from Pakistan. "We are developing Russian language learning centers in Islamabad, Lahore, and other Pakistani cities," he added.

Khorev stressed that Moscow and Islamabad remain committed to "an active and constructive political dialogue," as demonstrated by the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in September 2025 in China.