Pakistan respects Russia's relationship with India, PM Shehbaz Sharif tells Putin

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif

Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Islamabad respects Moscow's ties with New Delhi, saying that "it is perfectly fine".

Sharif, who held a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China, told the Russian President that Pakistan also wants strong ties with Moscow.

"I would like to thank you for supporting Pakistan and trying to have a balancing act in the region. I know and I must say that we respect your relationship with India ... and it's perfectly fine," he said.

Sharif added: "And we also want to build very strong relations ... and these relations will be supplementary and complimentary for the progess and prosperity of the region," he said.

The Pakistani leader than praised Putin, calling him "a dynamic leader" and saying that Islamabad wants to work very closely with Russia.

Historically, India and Russia have shared strong ties while Pakistan has been close to China. Russia-made S-400 missile defence system helped India thwart missiles and drones from Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

Earlier, during the summit, Sharif was seen noticeably hurrying after President Putin, attempting to catch his attention and shake hands as Putin walked alongside China’s Xi Jinping after the leaders’ group photograph. The video of the incident went viral online.