Pakistan, Russia discuss international security at 16th strategic stability talks in Moscow

Pakistani and Russian officials discussed international security and global stability in high-level talks in Moscow, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday.

In a statement issued today, the FO said Spokesperson and Additional Secretary Tahir Andrabi and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister “discussed topical issues of international security and global stability” a day ago as they co-chaired the 16th meeting of the Russia-Pakistani Consultative Group on Strategic Stability in Moscow.

It said the two sides had a “confident and detailed exchange of views” with discussions on matters related to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

“The meeting confirmed the affinity of approaches of Russia and Pakistan on most of the discussed issues. The sides confirmed their intention to continue such interaction and coordination at the relevant international fora,” the FO said, adding that it was agreed to hold the 17th meeting of the consultative group next year in Islamabad.

The development came as coordination between Pakistan and Russia continues across various fronts. Last week, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said that Pakistan planned to increase oil imports from Russia due to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, as “Islamabad is looking for alternatives.”

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The envoy stated that demand for Russian energy resources had surged amid the crisis around the strategic waterway. “We produce about 10% of the energy resources we need ourselves, while the rest is imported, mainly from the Persian Gulf countries. A serious crisis has arisen, and that is why we began to look for alternatives,” he said.

Tirmizi stated, “We are now also considering building a pipeline from Central Asia and Russia at some point. This could mean connecting the Eurasian space through roads, railways, pipelines, humanitarian contacts, and academic ties,” he said, adding, “This is what we are truly striving for now.”

Last month, Russia had also appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Iran and the United States. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, discussing “cooperation at multilateral fora in support of international peace and security”.

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In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin also affirmed his readiness to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in combatting terrorism. This followed a suicide attack on an Islamabad Imambargah that claimed the lives of at least 31 people and injured dozens of others.

In January, Putin had hailed growing relations between Moscow and Pakistan as “mutually beneficial” with cooperation expanding across sectors.

The Russian Embassy in Pakistan had quoted Putin as saying: “We are continuing close cooperation with Pakistan. Pakistan is a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which is the region’s largest regional organisation in terms of economic, technical, and human resources. Russia-Pakistan relations are mutually beneficial in the truest sense.”