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Pak-Russia anti-terrorism talks fruitful: Russian diplomat

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Feb 26, IRNA - A senior Russian diplomat here on Thursday 
said Pakistan and Russian officials held "fruitful" discussions on 
the cooperation against terrorism this week. 
"Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Safonov during his two-day stay 
discussed campaign against terrorism, religious extremism and 
narcotics control with the Pakistani officials," Yury Artem, 
Political attache of Russian Embassy told IRNA. 
Safonov held formal talks with Toheed Ahmad, Additional Foreign 
secretary during second session of the Pakistan-Russia Joint Working 
Group on Counter-terrorism. 
"During the talks, concrete steps for cooperation in the campaign 
against terrorism, eradicating illegal drug trafficking and expanding 
mutual cooperation in multifarious fields were discussed," the 
diplomat added. 
To a question on prospects of the Pak-Russian ties, he said that 
last visit of President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf to 
Russia in Feb 2003 has opened new era in relations between the two 
countries. "Bilateral relations are improving in different fields 
specially economic cooperation." 
According to Artem, officials of the both countries further agreed 
in their meetings that there was no obstacle to the steady growth of 
bilateral relations for which greater interaction between the two 
countries was stressed and planned. 
He disclosed that other key issues discussed during the meetings 
included Pakistan-India relations, situation in Afghanistan and Iraq. 
The Russian diplomat to a query regarding an extradition treaty 
between the two countries said that the proposal was made a long time 
ago but there was no progress for signing of the agreement. 
Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism between Pakistan and 
Russia was established after a meeting held between presidents of 
Pakistan and Russia in June 2002. 
The first meeting of the group was held in Moscow in December 2002 
when both sides had agreed to maintain contacts in political, 
economic, law enforcement, legal and judicial fields as that would lay
the foundation for an expanded cooperation between the two countries. 
Since the visit of President Pervez Musharraf to Moscow from 4-5 
February 2003, relations between the two countries are developing. 
During the first half of this year, the inaugural session of the 
Inter-governmental Joint Commission and meeting of the JWG on 
Strategic Stability will take place, according to reports. 
A group of experts will be visiting Moscow from 1-3 March 2004 to 
prepare for the inaugural session of the Inter-governmental Joint 
Commission`s meeting. 
TSH/MM/212 
End