Pakistan and Russia are two important actors on the international stage. 2023 marks 75 years since diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Russia began. Their relations have improved since the end of the Cold War. They have developed a diplomatic partnership characterized by changing dynamics and strategic cooperation. Bilateral and diplomatic ties deepen as they manage to promote collaboration in sectors like energy, defense, and regional stability.
Diplomatic And Bilateral Relations
Diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Russia were established on May 1, 1948, after the succeeding agreement between the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, Andrei A. Gromyko, and the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Zafrullah Khan, in New York. After this agreement, the embassies of the USSR and Pakistan opened in Karachi and Moscow, and it began a new door in developing the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and Russia.
The “Cold War” era severely impacted Soviet and Pakistan’s bilateral relations. The complicated developments in Afghanistan, involving both Pakistan and the Soviet Union, make their cooperation unable to avoid unfavorable consequences.
Previously, the Soviet Union assisted in developing Pakistan’s oil and gas industries, constructing power stations, and supplying agricultural machinery. With the USSR’s contribution, Pakistan Steel Mills was built in Karachi in the early 1980s, remaining the most significant industrial enterprise in the country and the flagship of our friendship.
In the last two decades, Pakistan and Russia’s bilateral and diplomatic relations have strengthened, and the two countries have established regular high-level contacts. Among those visits, the most significant and top of the list was the visit of the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, to Russia in May 2011.
Another milestone in developing ties, when Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited Moscow in February 2012, and later in the year, Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov came to Islamabad, it strengthened our partnership and brought new energy to our ties.
On February 25, 2022, Prime Minister Imran Khan met Putin at the Kremlin during a two-day visit to Moscow. Critics questioned the timing of the visit because PM Imran Khan chose to visit Russia amid tensions between Russia and the West. However, top Pakistani government officials termed it one of the rarest opportunities for the energy-starved country to make headway in energy and regional connectivity.
The brief statement from the Russian presidency said, “The leaders of the two countries discussed the main aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on current regional topics, including developments in South Asia,”
The statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s office stated, “Prime Minister Imran Khan regretted the latest situation between Russia and Ukraine and said that Pakistan had hoped diplomacy could avert a military conflict.” The statements also said that during the visit to Russia Prime Minister Khan also met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
“The Prime Minister stressed that conflict was not in anyone’s interest and that the developing countries were always hit the hardest economically in case of conflict.”
On 17 October 2023, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, emphasizing the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation across various domains, such as trade and defense.
The interim Prime Minister had reached Beijing to participate in the 3rd Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the forum and highlighted the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation in diverse fields while discussing matters related to regional peace and security.
Emphasizing a convergence of interests between Pakistan and Russia on the issue of terrorism, Prime Minister Kakar called for enhanced cooperation and a common approach among the neighboring countries of Afghanistan. In discussing bilateral cooperation, Prime Minister Kakar, referring to Pakistan as an energy-deficient country, invited Russian investment in the sector.
Prime Minister Kakar informed Putin that Pakistan’s energy minister had recently participated in an Energy Week event in Russia, where he had a “fruitful and constructive engagement with the Russian team.”
The Russian president asserted that stability is essential for ensuring economic progress and stated that both sides would exchange views and discuss the vision and steps needed to strengthen cooperation in multiple areas. He further mentioned that trade relations between the two countries had increased, noting that Russia had supplied around a million tons of cereals to Pakistan in 2023.
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Economic Cooperation and Trade
Economic and trade cooperation between Pakistan and Russia benefits both countries. Because Russia is a significant energy exporter, and Pakistan can benefit from its oil and gas resources. Similarly, Pakistan can provide Russian traders and suppliers access to the Arabian Sea and the Middle East. Pakistan Steel Mills and the Guddu thermal power plant are signs of Russian energy cooperation and investment in Pakistan.
When the first 45,000-ton shipment of Russian crude oil arrived in Pakistan in June 2023, it became a stepping stone in the economic and trade relations between Pakistan and Russia. This was the first time Pakistan paid for its import of Russian crude oil in Chinese currency. This development impacted for two reasons: it was the first delivery of Russian crude oil to Pakistan after Western sanctions on Moscow, and Pakistan paid in yuan, not dollars.
Strategic Relations
Closed relations with Moscow might help Pakistan’s standing in global affairs. Russia and Pakistan have displayed cooperation to address security difficulties in Afghanistan. Both countries advocate regional stability, and a durable regional and international peace can only be reached in this changing multipolar world with Russia’s active presence and participation.
In 2014, a vital development further strengthened Pakistan and Russia’s friendship when both nations worked on defense issues, exchanged military intelligence, held joint exercises, and sold weapons and equipment.
Since then, Pakistan has acquired military helicopters and other weaponry from Russia, such as MI-35 attack helicopters, and it has shown a desire to receive more sophisticated armaments, such as the Su-35 fighter aircraft. The two nations have conducted cooperative defense exercises known as “Druzhba,” which means friendship, since 2017, in addition to arms sales, emphasizing counterterrorism activities.
In Moscow, the 14th round of the Pakistan-Russia Consultative Group on Strategic Stability under the chairmanship of Additional Foreign Secretary (Arms Control and Disarmament) Mohammad Kamran Akhtar and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs S.A. Ryabkov was held on February 7. Both sides discussed international security and regional stability challenges in-depth and engaged in views of arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation.
The two parties discussed issues related to the agenda of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, the Conference on Disarmament, the IAEA, and the OPCW. The issues concerning biological, space, and international information security, as well as new and emerging technologies, including the military use of artificial intelligence, were discussed at length.
The two sides expressed satisfaction with the similarity of views on a range of issues of global strategic stability and regional security, including matters related to arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation. Both parties from Pakistan and Russia agreed to hold the 15th meeting of the Group next year in Islamabad, according to the joint statement issued by the Foreign Office spokesperson on Thursday.
Mutual Concern
Pakistan and Russia are developing close ties. Both countries are trying to move forward and catch mutual benefits to building relations. Russia is concerned about Pakistan’s close alliances with the West, which it has established since the early Cold War. Furthermore, Russia closely monitors Pakistan’s relations with China, mainly developing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China launched its BRI initiative, which connects the most remote and landlocked areas with major cities, economic hubs, and access to the seas in the Indian Ocean. Beijing reached out to India and its neighbors with economic cooperation and development through the BRI and China’s Maritime Silk Road strategy throughout the Indian Ocean region. For these initiatives, Pakistan provides the most critical access through its flagship CPEC project, as it links landlocked western China and Central Asia to access to the Arabian Sea.
At the mouth of the Straits of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman on the Pakistani coastline is the port of Gwadar. China is helping build up this port as a potential energy hub that would feed the BRI through CPEC, which includes a complex web of railroad networks and energy projects. On the other hand, Islamabad is concerned about Russia’s strategic relations with India. India is helping to build up Chabahar port, which is approximately 90 miles away from the West of Gwadar port. India wants to compete with Gwadar Port.
Conclusion
Our bilateral relations have steadily improved over the past years. The leaders of Pakistan and Russia hold regular meetings to discuss important bilateral and regional affairs. Recent changes in the relationship between Russia and Pakistan show that both nations attempt to engage constructively in all areas of shared interest. To take this bilateral friendship and cooperation to new heights, both countries must continue to deepen their diplomatic, economic, military, and especially people-to-people ties.
