(Abu Raja Haider)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is currently on a two-day visit to Pakistan. Analysts are calling the visit "very important" and there is a lot of talk in the country's media. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in a video message on the occasion that this is the first visit of a Russian Foreign Minister to Pakistan in nine years. Russia is a very important country in the region, with which bilateral relations are improving. ۔ We intend to cooperate with each other in the region. Pakistan is watching how its economic and defense relations with Russia are progressing and Islamabad also wants to move forward with the North-South gas pipeline project with Moscow. Is. Russia also has long-standing relations with India. Russia can also persuade India to play a positive role in establishing peace in Afghanistan. During his visit, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov will also hold meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa.
Relations between Pakistan and the then Soviet Union were not good during the Cold War. But after the end of the war, relations between Moscow and Islamabad gradually improved, but they did not show much warmth. The last time a Russian foreign minister visited Pakistan was in 2012 when President Putin canceled his visit. The then Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had visited Russia. In recent years, relations between the two countries have further improved.
Pakistan's focus is on the East and this action is positive for Pakistan. The United States has always viewed Pakistan with suspicion. So now it is better for Pakistan to look to the east. He had good relations with China and now he wants good relations with Russia as well. Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China, Turkey, and Central Asian countries can form a new political bloc together.
The focus of the Russian Foreign Minister's visit is on Afghanistan. The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is imminent and in that case, a political vacuum could be created there. If such a gap was created in the past, it would have been detrimental to Pakistan and the region. The Russian Foreign Minister has come to discuss the issue and is accompanied by an expert on Afghan affairs. Russia recently invited Pakistan to the Heart of Asia Conference. In addition, Pakistan was invited to another meeting on the issue of Afghanistan, which shows that Russia wants to work for the stability of Afghanistan and its role is very important.
The general impression in Islamabad is that the current US administration is not giving much importance to Pakistan. President Joe Biden called several heads of state and government, but the Pakistani prime minister has not yet received a call. In addition, the United States did not invite Pakistan to the environmental conference, while John Kerry did not visit Pakistan. But it is clear that because of Pakistan's geographical importance, the United States can never ignore it and now US troops are in Afghanistan. The US needs Pakistan's help for their return, while the US also needs Pakistan's help to negotiate with the Taliban. America will need Pakistan. Even after the withdrawal of US troops, it will still need Pakistan in the region. The US cannot think of isolating Pakistan.
In the past, Pakistan kept all the eggs in one basket on foreign affairs. That is, it became part of the Western alliance and did not make good use of relations with other countries. Pakistan has learned a lesson from the Cold War that it should not go to a single camp but run its foreign policy independently. By improving relations with Russia, Pakistan wants to show Washington that it has laid all the same eggs. Do not put it in the basket. Pakistan is also signaling that if the United States does not pay attention to it, so will other countries in the world. The Foreign Minister's visit to Pakistan is of special significance. It remains to be seen how Pakistan will succeed in its peace efforts in the region and strengthen its credibility.
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