Pakistani citizens are showing growing interest in tourist travel to Russia, and the further expansion of bilateral tourism flows may pave the way for the launch of direct flights between the two countries, Russian Energy Minister and Co-Chair of the Russia-Pakistan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade Sergey Tsivilev told journalists.

"We are aware of the strong interest among Pakistani citizens in visiting Russia, as well as the willingness of Pakistani travel companies to cooperate with their Russian counterparts. Therefore, one of the areas we will need to work on in the near future is the development of our countries’ tourism potential," he said.

"In the future, the growth in tourist traffic will make it possible to launch direct flights between Russia and Pakistan," Tsivilev added.