Embracing ‘Druzhbha’ or friendship

• Pakistan foreign minister’s four day Russian visit

It is clear that the mending of Pak-Russia Cold War ties, especially over the past four years, is not tied merely to making joint efforts in bringing about peace in Afghanistan, but the start of a promising new strategic journey that mirrors the ever shifting sands of international relations. It is true that Afghanistan tops the agenda in Khawaja Asif’s visit commencing Tuesday, and the gloomy mess the Americans have made of it, with its numerous actors, sinister regional implications and ramifications, and their escapist fixationson putting all blame for Afghan woes on Pakistan, while stubbornly seeking an ephemeral military solution.

Seeing no light at the end of the Afghan Tunnel even after 17 years of US-led war, and dreading terrorist threat in their own backyards, China and Russia, Iran and the Central Asian Republics have been compelled to play a more proactive role, facilitating and hosting various engagements for some peaceful political reconciliation between the Afghan government, Pakistan and the Taliban. But no doubt the US’s daily deteriorating relations with the Russians and Chinese, provocative nuclear weapons modernisation plans and its growing military intrusion and influence in Eastern Europe, especially Poland (the favourite pathway for invaders of Russia), has catalysed the strongman long ruling the Russian Federation not only to neutralise the region’s Achilles’ heel, Afghanistan, but seek and foster new bilateral alliances while strengthening existing ones to further secure his country’s national interests against dangerous US/Trump unpredictability.

The invitation by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is perhaps set against this regional and global backdrop. His spokesperson stressed the thrust of the discussions as ‘exchange of views… prospects for strengthening bilateral relations’, adding that ‘today we can state that cooperation with Pakistan features prominently on the list of Russia’s foreign policy priorities… we maintain an intensive political dialogue with Islamabad… constructive interaction on international platforms’, which must fall like sweet music on friendless Pakistani ears. But the rapprochement demands patient, calculated, transparent diplomacy from our side, and not keeping expectations too high at this stage, considering Russia’s decades’ old friendship with India, and the latter’s powerful economic, political clout and current ‘equal partnership’ with the US.