‘Pakistan must play its part in regional integration’

Islamabad:Iran is highly unlikely to join Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led security organisation, but would increase its partnership with CSTO member-states bilaterally, said a Russian-based expert Gleb Makarevich.

Mr Gleb was speaking to an event organised here by Institute of Regional Studies. Mr Gleb pointed that CSTO was not only security oriented but rather it entailed a multifunctional approach. This was precisely why Russia did not assist Armenia in Nagarno-Karabakh conflict despite latter’s request, he added. He while acknowledging the limited resources of Russia, highlighted that Russia did not seek global dominance like the Soviet era but instead, it tried to gradually consolidate its partnership in former USSR states, Middle East, South Asia and South Caucasus through a bilateral framework.

He alluded to the fact that Russia considered Iran as a strategic partner and sought collaboration in military, defense and technology sectors. While emphasising on the role of Pakistan, Mr Gleb added that Pakistan must join the International North-South Transit Corridor to maximise its economic potential and play its part in regional integration.

Fraz Naqvi from IRS mentioned that given the geopolitical environment, the role of CSTO was overshadowed by the more widely-recognised SCO platform in which China is present. He added that since Russia invited both Iran and Saudi Arabia as observer states in CSTO military exercises held in September 2023, it was quite possible that Russia might be trying to become an alternative external state alongside China in the Middle East.