Pakistan says it is in talks with Moscow on the issue of purchasing air defense systems.
“Air defense system is a different kind of weapon we are interested in. We are very much interested in a very wide range of the Russian weapons technology. We are in negotiations [on air defense systems] and once we conclude negotiations, we will be able to announce them,” Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan told Sputnik in an interview. Pakistan and Russia may reach an agreement on Islamabad purchasing Russian Su-35 jets in the next few years as talks on the issue are still in their early stages, he said. “Concerning fighter aircraft Su-35 … may be in the next few years we will be able to reach that point, we are in the beginning of negotiations now.”
Pakistan is interested in acquiring Russian T-90 tanks as a long-term commitment instead of a single purchase, the minister said. “We are interested in T-90 tanks and it is not going to be a one-time purchase but a long-term commitment,” he said.
Defence, intelligence
cooperation
Islamabad looks forward to expanding defence cooperation with Russia in all areas, including military training, procuring equipment and sharing intelligence, the minister said. “In the defence field, we signed a historical Pakistan-Russia defence agreement in 2014. As a result, we have been able to conduct joint exercises; Pakistan has purchased Russian helicopters Mi-35 and now we are looking at much wider range of defence cooperation. In terms of training, Pakistani officers are coming to Russia and Russian officers are going to Pakistani facilities for training. We are also now discussing a wider range of military exercises, a wider range of military equipment and intelligence sharing,” he said.
The minister commended the current level of defence industry cooperation, noting that in the future Islamabad hopes to expand the variety of military equipment sold by Russia to Pakistan. “We are looking towards a great future in certain areas, in which Russia has excellent expertise, such as the tanks and air defence systems,” he noted.
Situation in Afghanistan
Both Islamabad and Moscow are interested in a stable and democratic Afghanistan as it will positively contribute to the security of whole region, the minister said. “We respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty. Stability in Afghanistan is important for Pakistan to develop a prosperous future and to get access to the Russian market, especially by land route. Democratic and stable Afghanistan is in interest of both Russia and Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan supports Russia’s efforts to bring stability and peace to the region and calls on other regional and global powers to jointly devise a plan to end violence and defeat terrorism in Afghanistan, the minister said. “We are supporting the Russian regional approach to Afghanistan and we hope that not only Russia but also China, Iran and of course the United States can sit together and devise a way in which we can achieve peace and reconciliation within Afghanistan,” he added.
The minister praised a new approach by the Afghan leadership over ending the prolonged conflict in the country. “One positive step that has been taken recently is a genuine approach by President [Ashraf] Ghani when he said that he no longer wants to win the war, but to end the conflict. To win the war was militarist American approach but now the Afghan approach is closer to Pakistan’s position on the matter. Pakistan’s highest priority regarding Afghanistan is to have a peaceful democratic stable neighbour,” he underlined. Afghanistan has long been suffering from political, social and security instability due to Taliban and Daesh terrorist groups. To address this issue, Moscow has hosted a number of conferences to achieve peace in the war-ravaged country.
Even though Pakistan and Russia had differences in the past on the Afghan crisis, the countries have now achieved mutual understanding on regional and international issues, according to the minister. “Of course we have a history of Afghan war in which we have been on the opposite sides but now as second decade of the 21st century ends, we will be able to look at world realities with a different eye and I am delighted to say that Pakistan and Russia are largely in agreement on major international issues like Afghanistan, fighting drug trafficking, situation in the Middle East. There is excellent goodwill between our leadership,” he added.
SCO
The minister went on to say that Islamabad is grateful to Russia for supporting its accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Published in Daily Times, April 8th 2018.
