By PM Imran Khan will embark on a historic two-day visit to Russia on February 24.
Informed sources said Prime Minister Khan will be joined by a high-level delegation involving Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Adviser on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf and other higher authorities during the visit.
He will be undertaking the visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
PM Imran Khan, during his visit to Russia, will take up the plan of two mega gas pipeline projects of the nation’s “quick-draining” local reserves.
The Pakistani leadership needs to sign a commercial arrangement with Russia during PM Imran’s visit.
Another project which is probably going to be on the plan is the gas pipeline from Kazakhstan.
Authorities said Russia had already built a gas pipeline from Kazakhstan that goes through Azerbaijan. Russian organization Gazprom has finished the task up till the Afghanistan line but presently it is confronting certain sanctions from the US. Gazprom can’t export gas to any country over a specific volume.
They added that the volume permitted under US authorizations would be enough for Pakistan.
The PM will welcome the Russian president to visit Pakistan during his gathering with the latter.
The Russian organization associated with the project had proposed to give gas from Kazakhstan to Pakistan.
Pakistan decided that it would not manage the organization straightforwardly and arrange a settlement with the Russian government.
The authorities said Pakistan had composed a letter to the Russian government for this reason and prepared to take gas from this pipeline.
Energy Minister Hammad Azhar had additionally declared at a news meeting that Pakistan was looking towards the gas pipeline from Kazakhstan.
The spot prices of LNG have not stayed stable in the world. Subsequently, Pakistan needs a long term agreement for less expensive gas.
The minister had cautioned that that country’s native gas assets were draining quick.
The authorities said that Pakistan needs two pipelines to meet its gas prerequisites.
Specialists say that Pakistan should put a cap on local gas production to get it at a less expensive cost later on.
Gas from Kazakhstan and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline undertaking might meet Pakistan’s present necessities that will be less expensive than LNG to guarantee its energy security.
Pakistan is additionally pushing forward to finish the TAPI gas pipeline project.
Pakistan and Turkmenistan had shaped working gatherings to haggle on the gas costs of the TAPI pipeline project.
The two nations had likewise to consent to a host agreement. In any case, the marking has hit a tangle.
Pakistan has 5% offers and will be responsible for maintaining the pipeline.
On the gas cost of TAPI, authorities said it would cost around $6-7 for each MMBtu.
However, Pakistan has been importing LNG at a normal cost of $12 per MMBtu.
Additionally, Pakistan feels that LNG is not a long-lasting answer for the nation’s gas emergency. Various nations use it as a stop-gap plan to conquer their gas crisis.
Hence, Pakistan is presently focusing on the execution of the TAPI pipeline project alongside the gas pipeline from Kazakhstan to fulfil its future need.
The authorities said the TAPI task would meet 20% of the nation’s gas necessity – – which is viewed as less expensive in comparison with importing LNG to Pakistan.
The last time an elected Pakistani PM visited Russia was in March 1999 when then, at that point, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the country. There have since been various casual forces to the side meetings between the Russian president and Pakistani PM at various worldwide discussions.
PM Imran and Russian President Putin have additionally traded different calls lately also.
Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday and praised his “emphatic” statement on blasphemy.
