Pakistan and Russian officials on Thursday agreed on the need for preserving multilateralism in the field of international security and disarmament, and shared their concern regarding the possible erosion of "painstakingly negotiated" international arrangements in several areas, the Foreign Office said.

Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russia Sergey Ryabkov led their respective delegations to the 13th meeting of the Pakistan-Russia Consultative Group on Strategic Stability, held in Islamabad.

The consultative group is a platform for structured dialogue between the two sides which has been meeting since 2003.

During the meeting today, the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the prevailing regional and global security environments as well as their impact on the international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation agenda, said the FO statement.

The discussions encompassed issues such as the non-militarisation of outer space, upholding of bilateral and multilateral treaties and developments in the fields of information and telecommunications in the context of international security. Matters related to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva were also deliberated upon.

Both the sides underscored the close coordination and consultations between Russia and Pakistan at various international forums. They agreed to further capitalise on the positive trajectory of their overall bilateral relations by "exploring avenues for mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation", the FO statement said.