ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Russia are natural allies and Islamabad-Moscow ties are bound to flourish in the coming years, Honorary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Consul General Russia Muhammed Arsallah Khan said.
In an exclusive interview with The Nation here, Khan gave the credit of improved ties between Pakistan and Russia to the military.
“Pakistan and Russia are natural allies. This relationship will prosper in the coming years. The credit for these improved ties goes to the military leadership. The Russian defence minister had first met (former army chief) Raheel Sharif in Pakistan and then (army chief) General (Qamar Javed) Bajwa visited Russia. These meetings proved fruitful and we are on our way (to becoming good friends),” he said.
This month, Additional Secretary Foreign Office Muhammed Aejaz led a Pakistani delegation to Moscow for ‘Format Consultations on Afghanistan.’
There, the diplomat appreciated the Russian Federation’s role for bringing together an important group of interlocutors with the aim of ensuring peace in Afghanistan.
Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin had offered to mediate between Islamabad and New Delhi to ease tension in South Asia. The move was welcomed by Islamabad but India refused to oblige.
President Putin had also refused to condemn the 2016 Uri attack and China also denied supporting India’s bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership. While China’s response was expected by Pakistan, Russia’s neutrality gave them the boost they wanted as Islamabad took the Kashmir issue to the global powers.
Foreign ministry officials said that Pak-Russia relationship was on a positive trajectory. Both the sides signed defence agreement, held joint military exercises and Russia is investing $2 billion in South-North gas pipeline project, they said.
Arsallah Khan said that Pakistan needed to have good ties with the regional countries and neighbours. “Russia and China are big powers in our region. We must have close ties with them. This does not mean, we should ignore other countries. We can only succeed, when we have good ties with all the nations,” he maintained.
The Honorary Consul General said that Russia had re-emerged as a world power since President Putin took over. “President Putin has led Russia to become a power again after the end of the cold war. It is slowly also becoming an economic power,” he remarked.
Arsallah Khan said that he was trying to boost tourism between the two countries in the near future. “So many Pakistanis visited Russia during the football world cup this year. They all enjoyed there. They (the Pakistanis) were in fact not expecting such a warm welcome,” he said.
He said that in the coming weeks, he will try to use his influence to ease visas for Pakistanis who wished to visit Russia.
Arsallah Khan said that Russia was already providing scholarships to Pakistanis students and he would try to add to the offers. “We will engage with universities here and in Russia for cooperation. I am hopeful the scholarships will be increased,” he said.
Asked about his responsibilities as the Honorary Consul General, Arsallah Khan said that it was an honour to be selected for the job which is aimed at bringing the two countries closer.
“Some people get such positions just for the sake of ‘fashion’; I am committed to the job and want to achieve goals. The two countries need each other and we have to cement the friendship,” he said.
Arsallah Khan believed that there was a huge potential to enhance defence, trade, diplomatic and political ties between Pakistan and Russia. “We have to live in this region and Russia is a big player. We can learn from their experiences and move forward. Russia is already offering help in various sectors,” he said.