ISLAMABAD/Moscow - Pakistan and Russia agreed yesterday to form a new partnership amid Islamabad’s tension with the United States as the two countries paved for setting up a commission on military cooperation.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Mohammed Asif, who is on an official visit to the Russian Federation, held bilateral consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

According to Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Lavrov said “A commission on military cooperation is being formed.”

“The two foreign ministers expressed satisfaction at the increasing bilateral cooperation and agreed to further intensify efforts to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, including trade, energy, defence, education, science and technology and people-to-people contacts,” said a foreign ministry statement issued in Islamabad.

It added: “The two sides agreed to further build on enhancing coordination at multilateral fora. They underscored that Pakistan’s membership of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) had provided additional opportunities for deepening cooperation between the two countries.”

The foreign ministry statement said the two foreign ministers expressed desire to further expand bilateral trade and agreed to work together under the framework of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation. “They held in-depth discussion on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, important regional and international issues, situation in the Middle East and cooperation between the two countries in the UN and SCO,” it added.

Special Secretary United Nations and European Commission Tasnim Aslam, Ambassador of Pakistan to the Russian Federation Qazi M Khalilullah, Additional Secretary (Europe) Zaheer Janjua, Special Representative of the Russian President on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova also attended the meeting.

The two ministers emphasised the importance of strengthening bilateral engagement and diversifying cooperation in various fields.

“This is evident by the continued high-level interactions between the two countries, including meetings between the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the President of the Russian Federation in Ufa in July 2015 and Astana in June 2017, and Prime Ministers of the two countries in Sochi last November,” said the statement.

Lavrov emphasised the significance of cooperation in the field of energy, including realisation of the North-South gas pipeline project. He said Russian experts were ready to participate in modernisation of Pakistan’s energy sector.

The foreign ministers discussed the prevailing situation in Afghanistan and its implications for the region. They reiterated that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and a negotiated settlement through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process was the only viable option for lasting peace. They agreed to closely coordinate in all Afghanistan-related processes for a regional solution of the conflict.

There was also unanimity of views that unchecked proliferation of Daesh in Afghanistan, particularly along borders of neighbouring countries, was a threat to peace in the entire region.

Asif briefed his Russian counterpart on Pakistan’s vision of a peaceful neighbourhood. He underlined that Pakistan believed in resolution of disputes through peaceful dialogue.

“The Russian Foreign Minister deeply appreciated Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. He conveyed Russia’s continued support for enhancing Pakistan’s counter-terrorism capabilities,” the statement said.

Asif underscored that Pakistan was, in principle, opposed to sanctions against any country, including Russia, especially when these were politically motivated.

The two foreign ministers agreed to continue to consult with each other on a regular basis.

According to Itar-Tass, the Russian foreign minister said “We have confirmed Russia’s readiness to continue boosting Pakistan’s counterterrorism capacity, which is in the entire region’s interest.”

“Last year, we handed four Mil Mi-35M combat and cargo helicopters over to our partners,” he went on to say. “I am sure that they have been in demand as far as counterterrorism operations go, as our colleagues told us today,” the Russian told noted during a joint news conference with Khawaja Asif.

Russia and Pakistan will continue the practice of organising Druzhba (Friendship) joint tactical drills. “We have decided to continue the practice of organisation of joint tactical exercises Druzhba to drill skills of counter-terrorist organisations in mountainous conditions,” he said. “Such drills were conducted last autumn in Russia’s Karachay-Cherkessia.”

Lavrov said US military and NATO have been trying to deny any presence of the Islamic State terrorists in Afghanistan. “We are alarmed as unfortunately, the US and NATO military in Afghanistan makes every effort to silence and deny [the IS group’s presence in Afghanistan],” Lavrov told reporters.

“We have very serious suspicions over the measures that the NATO coalition in Afghanistan is using to curb this threat,” he noted. “According to our data, the IS presence in northern and eastern Afghanistan is rather serious, there are already thousands of gunmen,” Lavrov said. “This increases the risk of the terrorists’ penetration to Central Asia and it is not that difficult to get to Russia.”

Moscow is especially concerned, he said, about the security threat this creates for neighbouring former Soviet republics and to Russia.

Lavrov stressed the need to step up efforts to prevent this scenario. “The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where Pakistan and India have full-fledged membership, is represented by all key neighbours of Afghanistan and Afghanistan is taking part as an observer at the SCO,” he said.

The SCO’s regional anti-terror body may take steps to thwart the IS growing influence in Afghanistan, Lavrov added.

Lavrov also called for reforming this SCO body so that it could also combat drug trafficking. “Unfortunately, the years-long presence of the US and NATO in Afghanistan has not reduced the terrorist threat, while the drug threat has grown manifold.”

GAZPROM EYEING LNG DELIVERIES TO PAKISTAN

Russian gas holding Gazprom is considering an opportunity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to Pakistan, Lavrov said. “The flagship project is construction of the North-South gas pipeline from Karachi to Lahore. Other options are also examined, including deliveries of liquefied natural gas to Pakistan by Gazprom,” Lavrov said.

Pak-Russia commission on military co-op set up