PESHAWAR, Dec 13: Russian deputy head of mission in Pakistan Artem Rudnitsky has said that economic and political ties between the two countries lag behind despite the fact that it is the right time for leaders to exploit the high-level contacts between Moscow and Islamabad.

Speaking on the role of Russian Federation in the region at the Area Study Centre (Russia, China and Central Asia) of the Peshawar University on Thursday, Mr Rudnitsky said economic relations between the to countries had been progressing and the value of their annual trade had increased from $100 million in 1999 to $400 million during the current year.

“Yet the situation can be improved in the near future as a visit of a high-level Russian delegation to Pakistan is on the cards,” he said.

He was of the view that a joint trucks manufacturing project in Karachi, a railway system improvement project and contacts between both the countries’ officials and business concerns in the gas, oil and energy sectors were promising signs.

Mr Rudnitsky said the foreign policy of his country had been streamlined on peaceful coexistence of all the nations. Russia would oppose all moves taken unilaterally by any country rather it would seek collective efforts under the UN umbrella, he observed.

“We consider Afghanistan as an independent and sovereign nation and we are very much concerned about the situation there,” he said.

“Afghanistan is in our neighbourhood and its volatile situation may negatively influence the Central Asian republics and Russia,” the diplomat said.

He said the current situation in Afghanistan was more perplexing than it was during Soviet military presence there.