Russia's energy giant Gazprom is interested in developing gas deposits in Pakistan, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday after talks on bilateral business cooperation.
"The sides supported the interest of Russian business circles in implementing economic, infrastructural and banking projects jointly with the Pakistani government and businesses," the two leaders said in a statement.
In particular, Russian state-owned mining and metallurgical facility construction company Tyazhpromexport is prepared to modernize a metals plant in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city while Russia's largest power trader Inter RAO UES is ready to build power plants in Pakistan, the statement said.
In October 2010, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said that Gazprom might participate in a consortium to build the pipeline. India suggested Gazprom join the project as one of gas suppliers along with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The 1,700 kilometer pipeline with a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters per year and a rough cost of $4 billion, stalled by the war in Afghanistan, is supported by the Asian Bank for Development.
MOSCOW, May 12 (RIA Novosti)
