MOSCOW, April 21. /ITAR-TASS/. A group of Russian Pacific Fleet ships led by anti-submarine vessel Marshal Shaposhnikov, on combat duty in the Indian Ocean, has called at the port of Karachi in Pakistan for an unofficial visit, fleet spokesman Captain First Rank Roman Martov told ITAR-TASS on Monday.

They arrived for a five-day stay under the command of Rear Admiral Vladimir Dmitriev, the first such encounter in the history of contemporary relations with Pakistan’s navy.

After mooring and a welcome briefing, the delegation met senior commanders of the Pakistani navy, discussed joint naval exercises, long-standing experience fighting piracy in the Horn of Africa and toured marines training centres.

Diplomats from the Russian Consulate General and a delegation of the Russian community in Karachi boarded Marshal Shaposhnikov and seamen from both countries met for a football friendly. Pakistani naval officers will visit the ship on Monday.