Islamabad, Moscow to boost ties

Islamabad: The foreign ministers of Russia and Pakistan insisted on Thursday that the ties between their countries are strengthening, despite grousing in the Pakistani media about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to cancel a visit to Islamabad.

Putin was supposed to be in Pakistan this week as part of a summit involving Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, which also ended up being postponed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who arrived on Wednesday on a seemingly hastily scheduled visit, assured Pakistanis that Putin merely had scheduling issues and that he hoped to visit at a future date.

During a press conference on Thursday, Lavrov and Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said the two countries were working on forging stronger bonds in areas such as the steel and energy sectors, as well as combatting drug smuggling. Also this week, Pakistan’s army chief is visiting Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, suggesting a desire for more military cooperation.

Lavrov and Khar also discussed the conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria, as well as other crises in the Middle East and North Africa. Neither offered details about what they discussed, but Lavrov said “there is a convergence of views on all these issues.”

Meanwhile, Khar said countering terrorism is a shared goal of Pakistan and the US, but “illegal” drone attacks on Pakistan’s north-western territory risk losing the war.

The United States has routinely in recent years deployed pilotless aircraft to carry out missile strikes targeting Taliban and Al Qaida insurgents who have taken sanctuary in the lawless Pakistani region bordering Afghanistan.

The raids, which Pakistan views as a breach of its sovereignty, prove counterproductive because of collateral damage, Khar said.

“If we get one, two terrorists at the cost of civilian casualties, we will maybe win that battle, but we will certainly lose the war, and Pakistan therefore not ascribe [sic] to anything in which the war against the [militant] mindset is lost.”

Asked whether the Pakistani government would support a proposed march by Imran Khan, an opposition political party leader, at the weekend to protest drone attacks, Khar said its decision would be influenced by “a challenging security environment” facing the country.

Lavrov backed Islamabad’s statement on the drone war, asserting Russia believed that “it is not acceptable to violate sovereignty and territorial integrity of any state.”

Both foreign ministers said there was a growing “convergence of views” between the two countries on regional and international issues, including Afghanistan.

During Lavrov’s two-day visit, concluding on Thursday, Pakistan and Russia inked agreements on enhanced cooperation in the steel, railway and energy sectors.

Lavrov was also to meet with the Pakistani president and prime minister during his visit.

— AP & DPA