ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: Pakistan and Russia are likely to sign four agreements during the forthcoming three-day state visit of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to Moscow from Feb 4.

Briefing journalists who will accompany the president to Moscow, foreign secretary Riaz Khokar on Saturday described the visit as historic and said Pakistan hoped now to write an entirely new book on relations with Russia.

“We would like to forget the past which saw many ups and downs in our relations which at times bordered on extreme animosity between the two and begin a new chapter, indeed, a new book in our relations,” the foreign secretary said.

Giving a brief outline of the four accords that will be signed in Moscow by the two countries, Mr Khokar said the first would be between the interior ministries of the two countries covering issues pertaining to immigration and visas,

the second would take care of the long-standing dispute over the exchange rate for calculating the debt Pakistan owed to Russia, the third on rescheduling this debt, and the fourth would be a cultural exchange accord.

President Musharraf and President Vladimir Putin will have a one-hour one-on-one meeting around noon on Feb 5. The two would be assisted by one aide each along with interpreters.

No agenda has been fixed for this meeting and the two leaders are expected to take up any issue that they would consider important enough for bilateral summit discussions.

Mr Khokar believed the two leaders could use the opportunity to exchange views on tensions in South Asia, particularly with reference to Indo-Pakistan relations and the issue of Kashmir, the Afghanistan situation, developments on Iraq and the nuclear matters.

The Musharraf-Putin meeting will be followed by a formal discussion between the delegations of the two countries, with the two leaders heading their respective delegations. The accords already agreed on will then be signed, and thereafter the two presidents will call in press for a brief question-answer session, with each taking no more than three questions.

Gen Musharraf will address the Russian investors in the evening which will be followed by a dinner hosted by the Pakistan embassy. He would also give exclusive interviews to CNN and the Russian state TV and hold a full-dress press conference.

Answering a question, Mr Khokar said that President Musharraf would try to set at rest the apprehensions of President Putin about Pakistan’s nuclear designs and assure him that as a responsible member of the international community, it would not even think of supplying nuclear technology to other countries.

He said President Musharraf would also try to allay the Russian concerns about Pakistan’s position on Chechnya. “We consider it to be an internal matter and would like it to be resolved peacefully and like any other country in the world we are, however, concerned about human rights violations there.”

In his meeting with Russian investors, the President is expected to invite them to invest in Pakistan’s oil and gas sector, “of which they have ample experience.”

He is also likely to discuss the possibility of getting Russian assistance in expanding the capacity of the Karachi Steel Mills to make it economically more viable.

Gen Musharraf will also do some sightseeing during his visit, see a performance at the Bolshoi theatre and lay a wreath at the monument of the unknown soldier.