Moscow - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the upcoming Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Plenary over telephone with the Pakistani Prime Minister’s foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, reported Sputnik news agency.

The conversation was initiated by the Pakistani side.

“During the conversation the practical questions related to the upcoming extraordinary Nuclear Suppliers Group Plenary in Vienna on June 9 were discussed,” the press release said.

Pakistan has applied to join the NSG in May, claiming it has the ability to adhere to the nuclear proliferation-reducing body’s standards.

The NSG comprises 48 nuclear material-producing countries. The body is one of the chief tools for controlling the exports and proliferation of materials that could potentially be used in making weapons of mass destruction, as well as tackling the black market trade of nuclear technologies.