Russia & Pakistan: New prospects
Andrey Budnik
Russian-Pakistani relations are on the rise. Since 2010 the intensity of bilateral contacts at all levels has increased significantly. In June our presidents Mr D A Medvedev and Mr A A Zardari met in Tashkent on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. Then in August they held a substantial discussion in Sochi, where the heads of all countries of the Four including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia and Tajikistan assembled together. Sochi agreements were logically followed by Septembers substantial contacts of the ministers of foreign affairs held on the sidelines of the UN General Assemblys 65th session in New-York.
On November 25 Chairman of Government V V Putin and Prime Minister Y R Gilani had a separate meeting at the SCO Heads of Government Council in Dushanbe. On October 5-8 the Head of the Federal Service of the Russian Federation for Narcotics Control paid a visit to Islamabad to sign an agreement on cooperation in combating illicit drug trafficking. In January this year consultations on strategic stability issues at deputy ministers level were held successfully in Islamabad.
The intensification of our political contacts is not an accidental phenomenon it is logically stipulated by growing understanding in Moscow and Islamabad that our countries have many common interests and objectives. First and foremost, it applies to providing regional security and stability, countering threats of terrorism and extremism in all forms and manifestations.
Along with our Pakistani partners we resolutely stand against illicit arms trade, drug trafficking, money laundering, cross-border organized crime. We hold detailed discussions on all these issues, particularly within the framework of the joint working group on countering international terrorism and other new challenges to international security.
Russia fully recognizes and appreciates the substantial contribution made by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the efforts of world community in this sphere. Thousands of Pakistani soldiers and officers, policemen and intelligence operatives sacrificed their lives while purging their country of terror hotbeds, proving with deeds the commitment of Pakistan to genuine Islamic and human values.
Russia attaches great importance to cooperation with Pakistan in the sphere of Afghan settlement. Instability in this country is our mutual concern. The success of efforts to elaborate optimum ways of reconstruction and reconciliation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is impossible to achieve without active interaction with states bordering it, and primarily Pakistan, because many problems of these two countries are closely intertwined.
Russian and Pakistani policy is characterized by recognition of the fact that the search of ways to settle current highly sophisticated conflict situation must not become the prerogative of solely external players. The participation of the regional community in this process is imperative.
Certainly, the Afghans themselves must make a major and crucial contribution to the settlement by strengthening the state that would maintain good-neighbourly relations with the circumjacent countries and carry out the policy of neutralism while not allowing any external interference in its internal affairs. There is no doubt that it is indispensable to guarantee full sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Both Russia and Pakistan substantially contribute to the economic development and reconstruction of the friendly state.
Regional security including settlement of the Afghan situation, struggle against terror and drug threat would undoubtedly be facilitated by normalizing the relationship between the two major South Asian states India and Pakistan.
In this connection Moscow supports the resumption of political dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi. On the whole, Russia and Pakistan work productively within both international and regional formats. We adhere to similar or identical positions on major international issues including crisis management, formation of multipolar world order, strengthening of the United Nations role and authority as well as supremacy of international law. We have a lot of common interests in disarmament and non-proliferation sphere: we discuss these problems on a regular basis.
It does not mean that there are no differences between us. But most importantly, we discuss existing complex issues sincerely and in a practical way, respecting and not offending each other, thus promoting the atmosphere of healthy cooperation between our countries. We attach primary importance to the consolidating and integrating role of the SCO. This organization has lately become one of the most authoritative and influential in the region.
By now Pakistan enjoys the status of the SCO observer-state, but along with other candidates it has all the chances to become a full member of the organization. The real prospects of Islamabads contribution to the SCO activity both in the sphere of solving security problems (within the framework of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) and in expanding economic cooperation are already evident.
It would be proper to mention that being the largest transit state, Russia quite positively assesses Pakistans transit capabilities, whose importance is undoubtedly gaining ground in todays interdependent world. In our opinion, the construction of transport and energy corridors in Southwest and Central Asia is a key not only to successful development of the countries situated there, but also an important factor of strengthening security in the region.
Today we have vast opportunities for giving impetus to the economic component of our bilateral cooperation. In this connection the first meeting of Russian-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation held in September, 2010 was a significant event. It helped to outline specific areas of our interaction as well as the projects that can be practically realized within the framework of the two countries cooperation.
Special attention is drawn to the possibilities of oil-, gas- and coal-deposits exploitation, participation of Russian companies in providing electricity transit from Central Asia (CASA-1000), construction of Iran-Pakistan and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipelines, reconstruction and modernization of Pakistan Steel Mills in Karachi, establishment of banks representations in both countries, telecommunication development and modernization of Pakistani railways.
After the session of the Intergovernmental Commission the exchange of delegations representing both countries business communities has become more intense. This is helpful for practical implementation of existing and newly emerged plans and ideas. In this connection the visits paid to Moscow by Minister of State, Chairman of the Pakistani Board of Investment Mr. S.Mandviwalla on September 28 October 4 and Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Mr. S.N.Qamar on November 19-20 were extremely useful. Quadrilateral meeting of the ministers of economic block of the Four including Russia, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan held on October 22 in Moscow and attended by the Minister for Commerce of Pakistan, Mr. M.A.Fahim, is also worth mentioning.
It should be acknowledged that there are some factors impeding the development of economic cooperation between Russia and Pakistan. That is a certain passivity of our companies as well as the lack of mutual awareness, particularly, of the economy dynamics and the development of both countries legal basis in the respective sphere. In this connection we welcome the establishment of Pakistan-Russia Business Forum by Pakistani companies and local organizations concerned. This Forum along with Pakistan-Russia Business Council (also formed by Pakistani enterprises) aims at promoting direct contacts between the business communities of our states. We are also working at the idea of establishing a joint business council with an active participation of Russian companies.
Analyzing Russian-Pakistani relations, one would draw attention to a simplified approach to their history still remaining in a section of the Pakistani political circles. Appeals to abandon the prejudice of a cold war period resound here from time to time. In this connection it is appropriate to emphasize that even at the height of this period when the Soviet Union and Pakistan were pushed to opposite block systems, Moscow continued to develop its contacts with Islamabad and gave active assistance to Pakistani economy. It was in the seventies and eighties when Karachis Pakistan Steel Mills, Multan and Guddu power plants were constructed with the direct help of USSR.
The re-evaluation of the Russian-Pakistani relations in accordance with the realities of modern international situation took the period of the late nineties and early years of the current century. It was then that the leaders of both countries categorically opted for overcoming the remaining divisive lines in the region and emphasized that Moscow-Islamabad interaction is not subject to any outside influence and has its own value. The past decade fully proved the correctness of this approach. To sum up, the main thing has to be emphasized. We have a solid foundation for constructing a multistorey building of Russian-Pakistani relations, and there are excellent opportunities to do it in a proper way. All we need is to use them.
The writer is Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Pakistan.
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