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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has invited Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to travel Moscow at a time when Islamabad is attempting to strike a delicate balance in its relations with the West and Russia.

The proposal was prolonged by Lavrov during his brief informal interaction with Bilawal during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tashkent on Friday, a conciliatory source told The Express Tribune on Saturday.

A bilateral meeting between the two foreign ministers was scheduled, but due to Lavrov"s late arrival in Tashkent, the meeting was cancelled, according to the source, who dismissed reports of tension between Pakistan and Russia or that Lavrov refused to meet Bilawal.

On the sidelines, Bilawal met with foreign ministers from all SCO member countries except Russia and India.

A meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishanker was not planned, but the absence of a bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had raised eyebrows, as meetings between Pakistani and Russian diplomats on the sidelines of such regional forums were common. However, foreign ministry sources downplayed the development.

They were referring to the involvement of S Jaishanker, the minister of external affairs for India, who met other leaders on the fringes of the summit but was unable to arrange a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart due to scheduling conflicts. Therefore, the senior foreign office official stressed while seeking anonymity, "We should not read too much into it."

They were referring to the involvement of S Jaishanker, the minister of external affairs for India, who met other leaders on the fringes of the summit but was unable to arrange a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart due to scheduling conflicts. Therefore, the senior foreign office official stressed while seeking anonymity, "We should not read too much into it."

They reiterated that Bilawal will visit Moscow at the proper time and that Pakistan would continue to strive for a beneficial relationship with Russia.

Earlier this year, when Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from office by a vote of no-confidence, the relationship between Pakistan and Russia was at the centre of debate.

The former prime minister has argued that a US plot led to his ouster because he intended to pursue a free-wheeling foreign policy, including initiatives to strengthen ties with Russia.

His assertions were supported by a top-secret diplomatic cable that describes a March meeting in Washington between the Pakistani ambassador and a high-ranking member of the Biden administration.

Asad Majid, then-ambassador of Pakistan, responded to the foreign office"s letter by expressing the Biden administration"s grave concerns on Imran Khan"s trip to Moscow.

According to the diplomatic cable, Donald Lu, the US under secretary of state for South Asia, advised the Pakistani representative that the Biden administration was not pleased with Imran"s decision to travel to Moscow at a time when President Vladimir Putin was preparing to invade Ukraine.

He continued by saying that Pakistan will suffer grave repercussions if a vote of no-confidence in Imran was unsuccessful.

When the nation"s top national security decision-making body convened twice—once while Imran was still prime minister and again after he was removed from office—it was determined that there was no proof that the US was involved in the vote of no-confidence against the PTI administration.

Imran, though, is confident that there was influence and has persisted in calling for a judicial investigation into the matter.

Imran"s claims that he was penalised for having an independent foreign policy have been supported by Russian officials and the state-run media.

All eyes were on the SCO summit in this context to see if Foreign Minister Bilawal will meet with his Russian colleague.