From Russia with love

Recognising the important role being played by Pakistan in the contemporary world, Russia Wednesday offered assistance in the face of oil and gas supplies to the energy-scarce South Asian country. On the stratego-diplomatic front, Moscow confirmed that President Putin would visit Pakistan “soon”, and that his role in ensuring regional stability, security and economic integration, particularly in the settlement of Afghanistan issue, must not be underestimated.
The Russians also offered help to Pakistan in modernising the ailing Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) project inaugurated by then USSR some three decades back.
“We all know that Pakistan is experiencing energy deficit. But let us not forget that Russia is the world’s biggest energy supplier,” said Russian Consul General Andrey V Demidov while talking to media on the occasion of the Russia Day.
“Our assistance in the field of energy can be rendered in the form of oil and gas supplies,” he added.
Urging the two sides to take their bilateral relations beyond the PSM cooperation, Demidov said his country was ready to help Pakistan in the modernisation of PSM that, he said, required upgradation and new machinery for enhanced production.
“We are prepared to come and modernise the project,” the CG said adding “The machinery built in the Soviet Union, although old, is still working without any serious technical problem”.
The Russian official said Russia’s main approach toward the issue of bilateral relations with Pakistan was that the ties should be mutually beneficial. “The basic factor that enables us to seek closer ties is the absence of a single political problem that divides us,” he said.
He said Russia recognised the important role of Pakistan in modern world and believed that Pakistan was one of the leading states in Islamic world and the only Muslim nation possessing nuclear weapons. Pakistan was playing a vital role in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, SAARC and others, he said.
“We do not underestimate the role of Pakistan in ensuring regional stability and security in the settlement of Afghan issue in promoting regional economic integration,” the consul said.
He said political leaders of the two countries have been engaged on regular basis. During 2011 presidents of Russia and Pakistan have met six times at the sidelines of different international forums. Both sides emphasise the importance of developing bilateral economic cooperation and trade.
“The fields of energy, steel production, telecommunications, space technologies, oil and gas were mentioned as leading areas of cooperation,” he said.
Recalling his country’s October 2011 emergency assistance to flood victims in Sindh, Demidov said last May we witnessed a very important visit to Russia of President Asif Zardari followed in November 2011 by “successful visits” to Moscow and Saint-Petersburg of two Pakistani delegations – a delegation headed by the chief minister of Sindh, and a delegation led by the president of the federation of Pakistani chambers of commerce and industry.
About the “landmark” visit to Moscow of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and her talks with her counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the consul general said the two ministers had admitted that contacts between Russia and Pakistan were getting “more and more active”.
“There are good prospects for bilateral cooperation between Russia and Pakistan in realising big transnational energy project, connecting Central Asia and South Asia,” he said.
Hopeful of early materialisation of the agreements reached during those visits, the Russian official said Prime Minister Gilani during the telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin after the latter’s victory in the Presidential Elections in March (2012) had invited him to visit Pakistan. “The invitation was accepted. We expect to see our new President in Pakistan soon,” he said.
Dwelling on Russia’s economic situation, Demidov said his was the only G8 country without a budget deficit in 2011. “In fact we even have a small surplus. As of April 1, 2012 Russia’s international reserves amounted to more than $ 513.9 billion,” he said.