Islamabad, Moscow Sign Agreement To Restore Pakistan Steel Mills Project
Pakistan and Russia signed a protocol to restore Pakistan Steel Mills in Karachi, aiming to restart steel production.
The Pakistani embassy in Russia announced on Friday that the two countries have signed 'protocol to restore and Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) in Karachi", in what it called was a 'reaffirmation" of their 'long-standing industrial partnership".
The agreement was signed at the Pakistan embassy in Moscow by Pakistan's secretary of industries and production, Saif Anjum and Vadim Velichko, general director of Industrial Engineering LLC from the Russian side.
The event was attended by SAPM Haroon Akhtar Khan and Pakistan's Ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Khalid Jamali. The project seeks to restart and expand steel production, Hindustan Times reported.
Khan said, 'Reviving PSM with Russia's support reflects our shared history and commitment to a stronger industrial future."
The Pakistani embassy in Russia notes that PSM, built with Soviet help in 1973, stands as a lasting testament to the enduring ties between Pakistan and Russia.
Earlier this month, Pakistan and Russia agreed to collaborate on establishing a robust rail and road network to link the South Asian country with Central Asia and Russia, providing landlocked states direct access to warm waters, a media report said on Friday.
Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and Russian Deputy Minister of Transport Andrey Sergeyevich Nikitin met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ministerial conference in Tianjin, China, and agreed to speed up infrastructure development in the region to boost trade and economic integration.
According to PTI, Abdul Aleem Khan stated that Pakistan's modernisation efforts include digitising transport infrastructure, introducing barrier-free motorways, mandatory e-tagging, and comprehensive CCTV surveillance.
He said the reforms were part of Pakistan's broader goal to optimise regional connectivity and cross-border trade.
Meanwhile, last month, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to advance the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) rail project.
In a phone call, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi agreed to work towards early finalisation of the framework agreement.
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