New govt to inherit improved ties with Russia

ISLAMABAD: The new government coming in after Feb 8 general elections will inherit improved relations with Russia, as the past governments not only increased high-level contacts but also, as Moscow says, ‘increased contacts across the board’.

PMLN Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was the first Pakistani prime minister to have paid an official visit to Russia in April 1999 which was no less than “the most important event that year”.

“Given the mutual distrust that has characterised Pak-Russia relations for the last fifty years, the visit was indeed an historic landmark. The discussions between Mr. Sharif and the Russian President Boris Yeltsin have provided for qualitatively a new relationship between the two countries on the eve of the 21st century. Pakistan’s active role as a front-line state in the war against terrorism proved a constant strain in Pak-Russia relations for a long period,” noted the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies earlier.

As predictions gather strength that Nawaz Sharif has strong chances in once again reaching the Prime Minister’s Office, Albert Khorev, Russia’s new Ambassador to Pakistan, (one of the youngest Moscow has sent to Islamabad) in an interview to TASS news agency, gave an overview of the cooperation between Moscow and Islamabad and also spoke about the two countries’ prospects for engagement within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), as well as Russia’s approach to the Afghan settlement.

The Ukraine war indirectly also brought Moscow and Islamabad closer, as Pakistan dependent on Ukraine for grain import turned to Russia where it stepped up its imports of Russian wheat.

“In 2023, the supply exceeded 1.5 million tons. We will further pursue our mutually beneficial cooperation in this area,” said the ambassador.

He recalled that as early as 2015, under Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan signaled its interest in entering into a free trade agreement with the EAEU.

“This process is hampered by the absence of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Armenia, which is a member of the union and has a vote in its decision-making process. Nevertheless, cooperation between the EAEU and Pakistan is moving forward. Thus, in May 2023, a Russia-Pakistan protocol on cooperation within the EAEU’s unified system of tariff preferences was signed. This document will help expand trade and economic ties between the countries and ease the regulatory burden on business,” Khorev added.

The ambassador says his government has received applications from several government agencies and public organizations in Russia for monitoring Pakistan’s Elections 2024 and the embassy has started the accreditation process and begun working on other related issues.

“The Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s unique experience in preparing and conducting elections in a country with a population of over 240 million merits thorough study on the part of Russian experts.

A return visit by the Pakistani observers to work at the presidential elections in Russia in March 2024 would also be helpful. We already have some examples of fruitful bilateral cooperation: a Pakistani delegation successfully attended the elections to the State Duma in September 2021. We have all the means to not only consolidate the results achieved earlier, but also to take our cooperation in this area to the next level,” he said.

Russia asserts that Pakistan is an important partner in the energy sector. And this area was high on the agenda of the eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation held in Islamabad in January 2023. On the Russian side, the IGC is co-chaired by Minister of Energy Nikolai Shulginov.

“We look forward to holding the ninth round of the IGC shortly after the elections in Pakistan and the formation of a new government. Russia-Pakistan relations are currently enjoying a renaissance. We can see the pace of our bilateral engagement accelerating. We have noted an increase in contacts across the board. We have regular political dialogue, including at a high level.

“Last October, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, on the sidelines of the High-Level Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Our foreign ministries pursue a constructive engagement. In 2023, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Pakistani counterparts on several occasions. Deputy ministerial level contacts are becoming more frequent. Inter-parliamentary ties are growing, as evidenced by the visit of Chairman of the Senate Sadiq Sanjrani to Moscow in June 2023,” remarked Khorev.

Bilateral trade turnover shows favorable dynamics. There are reasonable grounds to believe that by the end of 2024, this figure will surpass the $1 billion mark for the first time in the history of our relations. Construction of the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline connecting Karachi and Lahore remains Moscow’s flagship project.

“We stand ready to cooperate with Islamabad in developing convenient logistics routes, thus tapping into Pakistan’s transit potential,” he said.

The ambassador pointed out that military cooperation and counter-terrorism efforts were another example of productive partnership.

“We are engaged in constructive work on key international platforms. We attach great importance to our cooperation with Pakistan on Afghanistan. Russia’s approach to the Afghan settlement is reflected in numerous official statements as well as in the Kazan Declaration of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan that was adopted on September 29, 2023. Besides Russia, it was signed by Pakistan and other participants, with the exception of Tajikistan.

This document, inter alia, calls on Afghan authorities to establish a practical, results-oriented dialogue with representatives of alternative ethnic and political groups in order to finalize the peace process and establish a balanced, comprehensive, inclusive government,” he explained.

Pakistan, adds the ambassador, is one of the most important regional actors, actively participating not only in the Moscow Format, but also in other mechanisms designed to address the Afghan issue, such as the regional quartet (Russia, Pakistan, Iran and China) and the Neighbors Format (the same four plus Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).

When asked by TASS that in December 2023, Kazakhstan removed the Taliban movement from the list of terrorist organizations banned in the country, and whether the Russian Federation contemplating taking the same step, he said, “I have noted this decision made by Astana. It was preceded by the new Chinese ambassador presenting his credentials to the Taliban leadership. These are steps towards a gradual recognition of the new Afghan leadership, but no more than that.”

“Moscow may consider officially recognizing the Taliban government in future if the Taliban authorities succeed in fulfilling their commitments and in strict compliance with relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council,” he asserted.