Hopes of Vladimir Putin-Imran Khan meeting in Beijing dashed
Putin does not plan to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders who will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on February 4, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s state-run news agency TASS, when asked if the Kremlin was receiving requests for meetings on the sidelines of the ceremony.
“We have repeatedly said that the ceremony’s organizers have to impose a number of severe restrictions both on athletes and guests, including officials,” Peskov noted. “So the Russian president’s schedule for the Beijing trip does not include any bilateral meetings for obvious reasons,” he emphasized. Putin is expected to make a visit to China on February 4 and apart from Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will hold a Summit with Xi.
The decision to skip a meeting with the Pakistan PM on Chinese territory will be welcomed in India as the Russian President kept Indian sensitivities in mind, sources here indicated to ET. There were intense speculations in Pakistan about the Putin-Imran meeting in China, Pakistan’s closest ally.
Islamabad was also hoping to organise a meeting between the two leaders particularly after Imran telephoned Putin in the recent part. There has been speculation and apprehensions in recent years over Russia’s engagement with Pakistan particularly in the context of Afghanistan and Taliban. However, Russia-Pakistan ties remain limited in nature and scope. Russia has consistently backed India on the Kashmir issue across all platforms.
Other leaders who will attend Beijing Winter Olympics include all five Central Asian leaders, besides leaders of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt besides few leaders from Europe, SE Asia and Latin America. Interestingly the list of leaders from Europe does not include anyone from Italy or Greece.