No bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will be taking place next week in Beijing.

Both leaders will be in the city for the start of the Winter Olympics, diplomatically boycotted by the West. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov to Russia's TASS said, "I would like to reiterate that there are no bilateral meetings on President Putin’s schedule, except for full-scale talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping". President Putin will be in China on February 4 and also hold summit-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-pm-says-inflation-keeps-him-awake-at-night-slams-opposition-for-trying-to-destabilise-his-govt-447065" hreflang="en">Pakistan PM slams opposition for trying to destabilise his government</a>

The controversial mega sporting event in China will see many world leaders attending the opening. Leaders of all 5 Central Asian countries, Monaco, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE are among the world leaders to attend the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

According to Pakistani sources, both sides were quite keen that the meeting happens in China but owing to covid-19 protocols and restrictions, the in-person meeting is not being held. Peskov as quoted by Tass said&nbsp;"Ceremony’s organizers have to impose a number of severe restrictions both on athletes and guests, including officials", explaining, "so the Russian president’s schedule for the Beijing trip does not include any bilateral meetings for obvious reasons".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/supporting-taiwans-independence-can-lead-to-military-conflict-between-us-and-china-qin-gang-448720">China’s ambassador to US warns of possible military conflict over Taiwan</a>

Earlier this month Pakistani PM had spoken to the Russian President. According to the Kremlin readout, "the discussion focused on the development of Russian-Pakistani ties in different areas, including trade, the economy, energy, and the humanitarian sphere, as well as combatting the spread of the coronavirus infection."

This is the second time plans for a bilateral has not come to fruition. Imran Khan and Vladimir Putin were to meet at the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Dushanbe in September 2021 but the meeting could not take place in person because the Russian President pulled out of the summit last minute following a COVID-19 case outbreak in his inner circle.

No bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will be taking place next week in Beijing. Both leaders will be in the city for the start of the Winter Olympics, diplomatically boycotted by the West.

No bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will be taking place next week in Beijing. Both leaders will be in the city for the start of the Winter Olympics, diplomatically boycotted by the West. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov to Russia's TASS said, "I would like to reiterate that there are no bilateral meetings on President Putin’s schedule, except for full-scale talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping". President Putin will be in China on February 4 and also hold summit-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Also read | Pakistan PM slams opposition for trying to destabilise his government The controversial mega sporting event in China will see many world leaders attending the opening. Leaders of all 5 Central Asian countries, Monaco, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE are among the world leaders to attend the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. According to Pakistani sources, both sides were quite keen that the meeting happens in China but owing to covid-19 protocols and restrictions, the in-person meeting is not being held. Peskov as quoted by Tass said "Ceremony’s organizers have to impose a number of severe restrictions both on athletes and guests, including officials", explaining, "so the Russian president’s schedule for the Beijing trip does not include any bilateral meetings for obvious reasons". Also read | China’s ambassador to US warns of possible military conflict over Taiwan Earlier this month Pakistani PM had spoken to the Russian President. According to the Kremlin readout, "the discussion focused on the development of Russian-Pakistani ties in different areas, including trade, the economy, energy, and the humanitarian sphere, as well as combatting the spread of the coronavirus infection." This is the second time plans for a bilateral has not come to fruition. Imran Khan and Vladimir Putin were to meet at the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Dushanbe in September 2021 but the meeting could not take place in person because the Russian President pulled out of the summit last minute following a COVID-19 case outbreak in his inner circle.

No Putin-Imran Khan bilateral meeting in Beijing

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday on a two-day visit during which he will hold important talks with the country's top leadership and the Army chief on bilateral ties as well as on the situation in Afghanistan.

Lavrov, the first Russian foreign minister to visit Pakistan since 2012, was received at the airport by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

"Pakistan and Russia share a multi-faceted relationship and we welcome FM Lavrov's visit in line w/ our mutual commitment to further strengthen our bilateral ties, deepening our growing bonds of cooperation &amp; collaboration," Qureshi tweeted after receiving his Russian counterpart.

During various interactions, the entire gamut of Pakistan-Russia ties and enhancing understanding on mutual areas of interest particularly in the fields of security and defence, energy, counter-terrorism, Afghan peace process, economy and trade will be discussed, the Foreign Office said.

Earlier, Qureshi had said Lavrov's visit will be the first by any Russian Foreign Minister in nine years and that he would personally go to the airport to receive him. Lavrov visited Islamabad in 2012.

"There is no second opinion that Russia is an important country of this region,&nbsp;his visit to Pakistan shows that our bilateral relations are taking a new turn,''&nbsp;Qureshi said in a video statement.

The two countries want to take forward the North-South Gas pipeline project, which is under discussion for quite some time, he said, adding that the Pakistan Steel Mill was set up in Karachi with the Russian help and there was an opportunity to cooperate to pull it out of the current financial crisis.

Pakistan and Russia are playing a role in the Afghan peace process, Qureshi said. He said Lavrov was coming to Pakistan after visiting India with which Russia enjoys historical ties.

"It can convince India to play a positive role in Afghan peace,''&nbsp;he said.

Qureshi said he would hold delegation-level talks with the visiting foreign minister who would, later on, meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The rare visit of the Russian foreign minister is part of the growing interaction and regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Russia.

Earlier, Qureshi met Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek in June 2019 and the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Moscow in September 2020.

Pakistan's ties with Russia have moved past the bitter Cold War hostilities and the chill in the US-Pakistan relations has further pushed the country towards Russia and China.

Lavrov, who arrived in New Delhi on Monday evening on a nearly 19-hour visit, has held extensive talks with the country's top leadership with a focus on various aspects of bilateral ties and preparations for the annual India-Russia summit.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday on a two-day visit during which he will hold important talks with the country's top leadership and the Army chief on bilateral ties as well as on the situation in Afghanistan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday on a two-day visit during which he will hold important talks with the country's top leadership and the Army chief on bilateral ties as well as on the situation in Afghanistan. Lavrov, the first Russian foreign minister to visit Pakistan since 2012, was received at the airport by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. "Pakistan and Russia share a multi-faceted relationship and we welcome FM Lavrov's visit in line w/ our mutual commitment to further strengthen our bilateral ties, deepening our growing bonds of cooperation & collaboration," Qureshi tweeted after receiving his Russian counterpart. During various interactions, the entire gamut of Pakistan-Russia ties and enhancing understanding on mutual areas of interest particularly in the fields of security and defence, energy, counter-terrorism, Afghan peace process, economy and trade will be discussed, the Foreign Office said. Earlier, Qureshi had said Lavrov's visit will be the first by any Russian Foreign Minister in nine years and that he would personally go to the airport to receive him. Lavrov visited Islamabad in 2012. "There is no second opinion that Russia is an important country of this region, his visit to Pakistan shows that our bilateral relations are taking a new turn,'' Qureshi said in a video statement. The two countries want to take forward the North-South Gas pipeline project, which is under discussion for quite some time, he said, adding that the Pakistan Steel Mill was set up in Karachi with the Russian help and there was an opportunity to cooperate to pull it out of the current financial crisis. Pakistan and Russia are playing a role in the Afghan peace process, Qureshi said. He said Lavrov was coming to Pakistan after visiting India with which Russia enjoys historical ties. "It can convince India to play a positive role in Afghan peace,'' he said. Qureshi said he would hold delegation-level talks with the visiting foreign minister who would, later on, meet Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The rare visit of the Russian foreign minister is part of the growing interaction and regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Russia. Earlier, Qureshi met Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek in June 2019 and the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Moscow in September 2020. Pakistan's ties with Russia have moved past the bitter Cold War hostilities and the chill in the US-Pakistan relations has further pushed the country towards Russia and China. Lavrov, who arrived in New Delhi on Monday evening on a nearly 19-hour visit, has held extensive talks with the country's top leadership with a focus on various aspects of bilateral ties and preparations for the annual India-Russia summit.

Lavrov arrives in Pakistan on rare visit; to hold talks with top leadership

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No Putin-Imran Khan bilateral meeting in Beijing

Lavrov arrives in Pakistan on rare visit; to hold talks with top leadership