Russia is counting on the signing of a shareholder agreement for the implementation of the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline project in the near future, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said. "The key project of cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector is the Pakistan Stream. The Russian side expects the signing of an agreement on assistance to the project by the government of Pakistan and a shareholders' agreement in the near future," Shulginov was quoted as saying in the message of the Ministry of Energy.

    Shulginov discussed cooperation in the energy sector with Pakistani Ambassador Shafkat Ali Khan. During the meeting, the parties considered the prospects for cooperation in the oil and gas sector, and also agreed to continue cooperation through the Russian-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.The Pakistan Stream gas pipeline, originally called North-South, should connect the infrastructure for receiving liquefied gas (LNG) in the ports of Karachi and Gwadar in southern Pakistan with power plants and industrial gas consumers in the Kasur district (Punjab) in the north of the country. Its length under the project will be more than 1.1 thousand kilometers, while the capacity was supposed to be up to 12.3 billion cubic meters per year, but, as stated earlier by the Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Nikolai Shulginov, this capacity will be more - 16 billion.

As noted by the Embassy of Pakistan in Moscow, it was planned that the countries would sign the statutory documents of a special company for the construction of the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline until January 31, 2021.