Pakistan, Russia agree to deepen energy and minerals cooperation at SPIGF 2025

The minister’s visit follows the September meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in energy, trade, and regional connectivity. Photo: file

Pakistan and Russia agreed to expand cooperation across oil, gas and minerals as Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervez Malik led Islamabad’s delegation to the 14th St Petersburg International Gas Forum (SPIGF).

At the forum’s plenary, «Gas Market 2025–2035,» Malik outlined Pakistan’s energy reforms and investor-friendly policies, pitching diversification and transparency to global players. On the sidelines, he held talks with Gazprom Chairman Alexey Miller to advance collaboration with OGDCL in upstream exploration, joint ventures and infrastructure. Separate meetings with Rusgeo and AI firm Nedra Digital explored Russian investment, technology transfer and digital solutions to boost exploration and production efficiency.

Malik also discussed trilateral cooperation with Turkiye in LNG, energy transport and mineral development with Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, inviting investors to Pakistan’s upcoming Minerals Investment Forum. The outreach builds on June’s SPIEF engagements and follows the September meeting in Beijing between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Vladimir Putin, where both sides reaffirmed plans to deepen cooperation in energy, trade and regional connectivity, including a potential corridor linking Russia, Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

SPIGF 2025 (October 7–10) drew over 30,000 participants from 50 countries, featuring more than 100 sessions on gas market trends, exploration technologies and the energy transition. Pakistan says ongoing reforms under the SIFC aim to bolster investor confidence through clearer regulation, sustainability standards and policy stability.

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