Bilawal, Lavrov discuss bilateral cooperation

—– Bilawal asserts on more efforts to further boost strategic cooperation
—– Russian FM shares views on geopolitical affairs

By Asghar Ali Mubarak

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a tele-phone conversation with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of the Rus-sian Federation on Wednesday and exchanged views on bilateral matters and growing cooperation in diverse areas.
The Foreign Minister also renewed the invitation to Foreign Minister Lavrov to visit Pakistan, a press release issued by the foreign office spokesperson said.
The two Foreign Ministers also discussed the Black Sea Grain Initia-tive (BSGI). Recognizing the importance of this initiative and its po-tential impact on disruption of global food supply chains causing food inflation and food-security-related challenges, Foreign Minister Bi-lawal Bhutto Zardari underscored the need for concerted efforts to find viable solutions that would in particular benefit developing coun-tries already under economic strain.
He expressed the hope that all parties involved in the BSGI would engage in constructive dialogue to revive the Initiative. In this re-gard, the Foreign Minister reiterated Pakistan’s support for interna-tional efforts for restoring the deal by addressing the concerns of all sides.
The Foreign Minister informed his Russian counterpart on his discus-sions on BSGI with the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Turkiye, the US Secretary of State and the EU High Representative.
Foreign Minister Lavrov shared Russia’s perspective on the issue. The two Foreign Ministers agreed to remain in close contact on the matter.