Islamabad: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif quietly exchanged letters, away from the media glare, to avoid public attention, a Pakistan media report said.

The letters, in which both expressed a desire to strengthen cooperation, were exchanged after the election of Shehbaz as Pakistan's prime minister after the ouster of Imran Khan.

However, both sides kept development away from the media glare in what seemed to be a move aimed at avoiding any public attention, The Express Tribune reported.

Putin wrote a letter to the new Pakistan PM, congratulating him on his election, a Pakistan foreign office official confirmed to the Pakistani newspaper.

According to the report, Putin expressed the desire to deepen cooperation between Russia and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Shehbaz wrote back expressing similar sentiments on bilateral cooperation in Afghanistan.

Earlier, Putin sent his felicitations to the newly-appointed Pakistan PM through the Russian embassy's tweet.

Putin said he hopes Shehbaz's activities will "contribute to further development of the Pakistan-Russia cooperation and partner interaction on the Afghan settlement as well as countering international terrorism."

"President Putin congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan, expressed hope that Shehbaz Sharif's activities will contribute to further development of Russia-Pakistan cooperation and partner interaction on Afghan settlement, countering international terrorism," Russia's embassy in Pakistan had said in a tweet.

Pakistani media believes that the new government in Islamabad will push for resetting ties with the West, particularly with the US after the damage caused by former Imran Khan's rhetorical statements.

Shehbaz Sharif would avoid such an approach and work quietly to advance Pakistan's foreign policy interests.