Russia’s Foreign Minister on Wednesday said Moscow and Islamabad would boost ties in the fight against terrorism, with Russia providing unspecified military equipment to Pakistan and the two holding joint exercises at sea and in the mountains.
Sergey Lavrov spoke on the second day of a two-day trip to Pakistan. It’s the first visit by a Russian Foreign Minister in nine years. It comes as Moscow seeks to increase its stature in the region, particularly in Afghanistan. There, it has sought to inject itself as a key player in accelerated efforts to find a peaceful end to decades of war.
“We stand ready to strengthen the anti-terrorist potential of Pakistan, including by supplying Pakistan with special military equipment,” Mr. Lavrov said, without going into detail about the equipment.
Washington is reviewing an agreement it signed more than a year ago with the Taliban as it rethinks a May 1 withdrawal of its soldiers. Meanwhile, Moscow has stepped up its involvement in Afghanistan, emerging as a significant player. Last month, it hosted talks between the Taliban and senior government officials, and Mr. Lavrov suggested another high-level meeting could again be held in Moscow.
Mr. Lavrov arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday from neighbouring India, with whom Moscow hashad a long and solid relationship. The apparent reset in Pakistani-Russian relations, however, is by contrast a recent phenomena. In the 1980s, Pakistan was a staging arena for anti-communistAfghan rebels who were aided by the U.S. to oust the former Soviet Union, which negotiated an end to a 10-year occupation in 1989.
Gas pipeline
Russia is also building a gas pipeline betweenthe southern port city of Karachi and eastern Lahore. Pakistan’s Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Islamabad will alsobuy 5 million doses of the Russian made COVID-19 Sputnik V vaccine, and expressed a desire to eventually manufacture it in Pakistan. He said Pakistan also wanted Russian expertise to modernise its antiquated railway system as well as its energy sector.
The visit underlines the waning influence of the U.S. in the region, while Russian and Chinese clout grows, says Michael Kugelman,deputy director of the Asia Program at the U.S.-based Wilson Center.
“There’s a good reason why this is the first Russian Foreign Minister visit to Islamabad for nearly a decade: Russia-Pakistan relations are on the ascent,” he said in an interview. He also noted a new 25-year development agreement between Iran and China.
Pakistan also is a key player in China’s Belt and Road Initiative — a massive, cross-continental infrastructure development project aimed at expanding China’s commercial connections globally. “America will soon be ceding important real estate to itstop rivals,” said Mr. Kugelman. “That’s the cost of an impending U.S. withdrawal from the region. But with the U.S. intent on pulling back, it is seemingly a cost it is willing to bear.”
