Pakistan PM meets Russia’s Putin in Beijing, China’s Xi in attendance
Sources said the informal meeting took place at a picturesque lake resort, where leaders were attending the Belt and Road Forum hosted by China.
A rare meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping was held in Beijing on Monday, reflecting the growing diplomatic contacts and cooperation among the three countries.
The News daily quoted diplomatic sources as saying that the informal meeting took place at a picturesque lake resort where leaders were attending the Belt and Road Forum hosted by China. It was held after the conclusion of the leaders’ roundtable summit of the forum.
The newspaper speculated that the meeting "would pave the way for facilitating a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi next month” on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at Astana.
Pakistan and India will both become members of the SCO at the summit.
The Russian and Chinese presidents will be present in Astana. The newspaper said Pakistani officials have indicated this could be the first joint attempt by the Chinese and Russian leadership to address tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.