Engaging Russia

A move in the right direction

Pakistani diplomats at the Envoys Conference in Islamabad a couple of months back had advocated more proactive engagement with Russia. Some promising signs of renewed engagement, including the recently concluded visit of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to Russia, are visible. This visit also signals to the US, Pakistan’s greater activity within its Asian neighbourhood. Russia has, alongside China, become more assertive in demonstrating multi-polarity as opposed to uni-polarity on the global power scene.

The overriding message of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani’s joint press conference with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov after talks in Moscow Wednesday was that the two countries are ready to expand and intensify political as well as economic cooperation as a step towards developing a strategic partnership. The fact that the press conference addressed by the two foreign ministers was telecast live on the state and private TV channels here underlined the importance Pakistan attached to this visit.

While at the press conference no question was raised or any mention made about the prospects of cooperation in civil nuclear technology and defence sector between the two countries, such a possibility cannot be ruled out. Understandably such cooperation is often discussed on the quiet.

Pakistan and Russia have growing convergence of interests bilaterally and on issues of regional and international importance. Russia attaches great importance to her relations with Pakistan as it is mindful of its significant role both in the region and in the Islamic world as a whole. Last year in September when the two foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York, Lavrov told Khar that he was looking forward to her visit to Moscow.

A major international player, being a permanent member of the UNSC and of the G-8, Russia’s clout and influence has been considerably enhanced in the last few years. Pakistan considers Russia as an engine for increased economic growth and a factor of peace and stability in the SCO region. Both the countries seem equally keen to broaden and diversify mutually advantageous cooperation, particularly in the energy sector. Pakistan is now seriously looking towards Russia to meet its energy requirements and this was discussed in Moscow when the foreign minister separately met with the Russian Minister of Energy during her visit.

While the Russian investors are interested in investing in the Thar coal project, Russia is also keen to participate in the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project. Moscow has already indicated to Islamabad that it wants its gas company Gazprom, the world’s largest gas company, to have a role in the project. Pakistan has conveyed that it would welcome Russian participation in this project. Russia’s readiness to participate in the energy projects of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India as well as Central Asia and South Asia 1000 (CASA) is also significant and welcomed by Pakistan as it faces an acute energy deficit.

Another good development is that the two countries are now close to firming up a MOU on the expansion and modernisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills, a key state enterprise.

There are tremendous opportunities for joint collaboration in various projects. Russia has expressed interest on several occasions in building on business ties with Pakistani partners in sectors such as oil and gas, railways, power generation, agriculture and metallurgy. The two countries have also been discussing the possibility of developing rail links with Iran and other areas in the SCO region from Pakistan. Russia had shown some interest in Pakistan’s keenness to develop rail links to Central Asia from Gwadar.

Reaffirmation of Russian support for Pakistan’s request for full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is another encouraging sign. Earlier on Russia had been non-committal on this question.

Moscow re-established a political dialogue with Islamabad in February 2003 when President Musharraf visited Russia. Notably in June 2005, Pakistan supported Russia’s bid for observer status in the OIC and in turn Russia helped Pakistan obtain the observer status in the SCO.

Pakistan and Russia have had increasingly intensive interaction at the political fora at various international summits including the SCO. Both have shared similar positions on key international issues, particularly on the overall strengthening of the role of the UN and other international organisations on the basis of the international law. Moscow and Islamabad have been cooperating in the UN and on key international issues such as Iran, Iraq and the Middle East they have similar views. Both share the view on the need for a multi-polar world and the centrality of the UN role in the world affairs.

The common threats of terrorism and drugs have also compelled the two countries to strengthen security cooperation. Russians have been concerned about the presence of Al-Qaeda elements and Taliban in the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan and drug trafficking. The growing presence of US and Nato forces in the region and Pakistan’s active cooperation with both had made Moscow somewhat uneasy. However, Pakistan’s gradual distancing from the US has encouraged the Russians towards closer cooperation.

While in the past few years there have been regular contacts between the two countries at the diplomatic and political levels and a framework for consolidating economic cooperation has laid the basis of a strategic partnership, practical follow-up steps have yet to be taken, specifically to boost bilateral trade.

Russian investors who are virtually knocking at Pakistan’s door now, may walk away discouraged by our own problems. Therefore unless Pakistan’s slow moving bureaucratic machine becomes more responsive and domestic political turmoil settles down, this Russian initiative is unlikely to translate into any concrete benefits for Pakistan.

The writer is a senior journalist and has been a diplomatic correspondent for leading dailies. She was an Alfred Friendly Press Fellow at The Chicago Tribune in the US and a Press Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge, UK. She can be reached via email at [email protected]