Politics without emotion. How to Russia and Pakistan to forget the former "tension"

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Pakistan-Russian relations seem to some analysts to be a “puzzle”. How to solve it? Here it is: Pakistan should interact with Russia where this interaction does not intersect with its American ties.

Politics without emotion. How to Russia and Pakistan to forget the former "tension"




Pakistani-Russian relations are a puzzle. In a geostrategic sense, it is time for Pakistan to reconsider its foreign policy so that it can turn to Russia where it does not interfere with ties with the United States. So says Pakistani lawyer and analyst Sheraz Zaka (Sheraz Zaka), whose article was published in the newspaper Daily Times.

Relations between states should not depend on emotions. In the current era, economic interests play a key role in international relations, the author points out.

The analyst considers the “speeches” of US President Donald Trump, who verbally “fed and inflamed nationalist feelings on the altar of internationalism,” as a “huge mistake”. This position of the American president has weakened the position of the United States in international politics. In the future, it is likely that new alliances will emerge, and countries such as Pakistan will have the opportunity to “establish new partnerships and become a key player in new alliances,” the author believes.

Since independence, relations between the United States and Pakistan have been growing rapidly. At present, however, the US is more supportive of India than of Pakistan, reminds Sheraz Zack. Against this background, Pak-Russian relations are changing. On September 25, the troops of Russia and Pakistan conducted joint military maneuvers to combat terrorism under the symbolic name Friendship 2017. It is becoming obvious that relations between Pakistan and Russia are improving when the ties between the United States and Pakistan weaken.

The proximity to the United States after Pakistan gained independence "always had a negative effect on Pakistan-Russian relations," recalls Zack. This is easy to explain: during the USSR, the government of Pakistan preferred to form strong relations with the United States, which promoted the ideas of a free market economy and capitalism.

Now we have to contemplate President Trump, who is belligerent to Pakistan: the tone of the latter “remains aggressive.” How long will Trump stick to such rhetoric? What “side effects” will this have in Pakistan-Russia relations?

Here two factors are important, the author of the material considers. The first is to look into history and see how Pakistan has demonstrated consistency in maintaining friendly relations with Russia. The second is to identify the role that Russia can play in creating a “balance” between India and Pakistan.

The biggest problem with Pakistan’s foreign policy is that Pakistan is “insecure”. The people at the helm of power believe that without the help of a superpower, Pakistan’s existence is threatened by poor relations with India. And it always has been. In Pakistan, foreign policy has always been “defensive”. Therefore, politicians "could neither experiment, nor explore new aspects or trends in foreign policy." Pakistan’s foreign policy has always been one-sided. Consequently, after seventy years of independence, instead of the ideas of friendship, Pakistan still defends the interests of its foreign "chefs".

Given the current geo-strategic situation, Pakistan needs to reconsider its foreign policy, Zak believes. Pakistan should look at Russia without simultaneously taking an “aggressive stance” against the United States. Similarly, Russia: it must advance its interests, forgetting about the former Soviet hostility against Pakistan during the Afghan-Soviet 1980 war.

On the other hand, friendly relations between Russia and India will remain a problem for Pakistan.

In the history between Moscow and Islamabad there were periods of warming. One should not forget that from 1947 to 1950. and from 1965 to 1969. The Soviet Union and Pakistan collaborated in various fields related to education, culture and trade. In 1965, the Soviet Union played a pivotal role in concluding a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. In 1970, the Soviet Union assisted Pakistan in the construction of a steel plant. Subsequently, the author continues, relations between the Soviet Union and Pakistan deteriorated: in 1971, the Soviet Union vetoed the UN Security Council resolution on the intervention of India in East Pakistan. Pakistan considered this intervention a “stab in the back”.

The “tension” between Russia and Pakistan increased even more when the Soviet Union sent troops to Afghanistan in 1979, and Pakistan, with the help of US-supported Taliban, joined the indirect war against the Soviet Union. Over time, the Soviet Union realized that Pakistan’s geo-strategic position could not be undermined, Zack points out.

In 2005, communications between India and the United States began to improve, and in 2008, the United States and India formed a nuclear agreement that was a major breakthrough in relations between the two countries. Russia warned India about an alliance with the United States. Relations between the United States and Pakistan “remained unstable,” the analyst believes, despite the fact that Pakistan has become a state of “front line” in the US war against terror. It is also difficult not to notice that Russia "in the past provided diplomatic support to India on the Kashmir issue and was the largest supplier of military equipment in India."

In 2011, the United States, along with NATO forces, attacked Pakistan, attacking the Salalah base. This led to the rupture of relations between the two states. Subsequently, the Russian government condemned the attack.

In 2014, a “major breakthrough” will occur in the relations between Russia and Pakistan: the Russian government lifted the embargo on arms sales to Pakistan. Despite India’s protests, the Russian government has sold four Mi-35M helicopters to Pakistan. In addition, an agreement on the sale of Su-35 fighters (in the original “fighter jets S-35”) is being developed.

It should not be assumed, of course, that the purchase of several Russian planes by Pakistan and a change in Pakistan’s relations with the United States will lead to a deterioration of ties between Russia and India. To think so is to indulge in the “illusion of greatness,” the author writes. The creation and development of friendly relations between India and Russia took decades. And what took decades, can not be destroyed "in one night."

For Pakistan, it is an “indispensable” reliance on a superpower. Only by relying on a superpower will Pakistan stand on its feet. Strengthening ties with Russia can meet Pakistan’s energy needs, the analyst admits. Currently, the European Union adheres to the regime of trade sanctions against Russia, so Pakistan has the opportunity to form long-term trade relations with Russia. It is expected that the states will also cooperate in the defense sphere and the creation of a counter-terrorism alliance to counter the threat of the “Islamic state” (prohibited in Russia) in Afghanistan.

* * *


Sheraz Zak is hardly mistaken about "meeting Pakistan's energy needs." A few days ago it became known about the agreement between Russia and Pakistan on creating conditions for the supply of liquefied natural gas from Russia to the republic's re-gasification terminals. The agreement was signed by Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation Yuri Senturin and Deputy Head of the Ministry of Energy of Pakistan Sikandaram Sultan Raja.

“The document provides for the creation of conditions for the Russian side to supply liquefied natural gas to Pakistan’s re-gasification terminals to meet the needs of the republic’s energy sector,” the Russian Ministry of Energy quoted the site as saying TASS.

It is assumed that within two months after the entry into force of the agreement, Pakistan LNG and Russian Gazprom will sign a long-term gas purchase and sale agreement, the agency said.

Earlier, October 6, Prime Minister D. Medvedev approved the draft agreement with Pakistan on gas supply.

Indeed: where relations with the United States deteriorate, ties with Russia will quickly grow stronger!

Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
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    1. 0
      24 October 2017 15: 55
      “The historical mistake of Pakistan from the very beginning was to try to establish closer ties with the United States, ignoring Russia ... We entered the war with Russia in Afghanistan and got terrorism, extremism and the problem of drug trafficking. Now Pakistan is trying to establish friendly relations with Russia and correct past mistakes. ” Head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of Pakistan, Haji Adil.
      PS Do not forget that Pakistan is a satellite state of China ...
      1. +1
        24 October 2017 16: 22
        Quote: knn54
        that Pakistan is a satellite state of the PRC ...

        Well, not a satellite, but simply in the sphere of interests. request
      2. 0
        25 October 2017 00: 27
        What is the attack base? I did not find anything about this.
    2. +3
      24 October 2017 19: 12
      While Pakistan follows in the wake of the United States and supports Islamic radicals, Russia should not cooperate with Pakistan, let alone give it loans. Pakistan is used to getting free money from the United States, now this flow has become scarce, even the United States has begun to save, and the Russian Federation is not so rich as to feed foreigners at its own expense, in Russia there are more problems than people would like.
    3. +1
      24 October 2017 20: 16
      So both Pakistan and India both ask for membership in the SCO and will soon become members of this important regional organization, and they will make peace there, I hope.
      1. 0
        25 October 2017 18: 01
        Quote: andrewkor
        make peace there, I hope.

        Hold your pocket wider
        Quote: andrewkor
        So Pakistan and India both ask for SCO

        The SCO has a lot of complaints, like India and China what
    4. +3
      24 October 2017 20: 43
      Historical errors often become noticeable now. They recall the former "cooperation". I believe the only mistake of the Soviet Union was that what he built "helped" he did not leave his property, and did not have access to the distribution of profits. If we had at least a small percentage of what the enterprises built by us produce !!! Probably there would be Communism!
    5. 0
      25 October 2017 07: 19
      Gas ... yeah. Recently, Russia has been trying to push its gas to all who can, even began to build an LNG plant. Earlier, Gazprom turned its face away from those who asked them to sell gas at “non-European” prices, and even Turkmen gas was bought 25 years in advance to remove competitors (and now that the price has fallen, I realized how much it went wrong. But nothing, raising the price for consumers inside Russia, as usual, "will leave") ....
      1. +1
        26 October 2017 12: 31
        Normal economic practice. The conquest of markets is called. At the same time, it is good to control both supplies and prices. Therefore - the purchase of gas from Turkmenistan and then the gas OPEC.
    6. 0
      25 October 2017 13: 11
      Quote: Megatron
      What is the attack base? I did not find anything about this.

      Well, this is probably not the base. The base is said too much. The Salalal incident is an EMNIP attack by NATO (or the United States, I don’t remember exactly) two-way border posts on Pakistani territory in this area (Salalah). It was attended by the EMNIP couple of Apache helicopters, one AS-130 ganship and 2 or 3 F-15 fighter-bomber. As a result, something about 30 Pakistanis died and about 12-15 were injured.
      After that, Pakistan blocked the delivery of goods for NATO from Karachi to Afghanistan (for several months). Something like this, but more precisely - I do not remember

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