ISLAMABAD: Leading diplomacy experts and academicians of Pakistan and Russia have engaged to explore new avenues for multilateral cooperation and sustainable development within the broader Eurasian context.

For this purpose, a high-level think-tank dialogue took place between the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICCA RAS), marking a continued commitment to deepening scholarly and strategic engagement between Pakistan and Russia. The think-tank dialogue explored new horizons of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The meeting was hosted at ICCA-RAS in Moscow and brought together leading experts and scholars from both institutions, message received from Moscow said. Representing ICCA-RAS were Prof. Kirill Babaev, Director of the Institute; Dr. Dmitry Novikov, Head of the Center for Central Asian Studies; Ms. Alexandra Perminova, Deputy Head and Research Fellow; and Ms. Larisa Shashok, Research Fellow.

The ISSI delegation was led by Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Director General of ISSI, accompanied by Mr. Jetha Nand, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Pakistan in Moscow.

The dialogue focused on current regional and global developments, including the shifting geopolitical landscape, evolving security trends, and opportunities for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, humanitarian, and strategic domains.

This round of engagement builds on the institutional partnership formalized earlier this year when ISSI and ICCA RAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in April 2025 in Islamabad. The MoU aims to promote joint research, scholarly exchanges, and dialogue on critical regional and global issues.

The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of both institutions to fostering long-term academic and research collaboration and contributing to the rapidly evolving multi-faceted Pakistan–Russia partnership.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025