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Moscow-Islamabad partnership not against Delhi
The military cooperation between Russia and Pakistan is not directed against India, it will strengthen capabilities of the SCO. From the military-technical point of view, for Pakistan, it is more profitable to shift to China and Russia than to cooperate with the United States.
Russian experts comment in this manner, results of the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Pakistan.
This is the first time in 45 years that a Head of the Russian Defense Ministry has visited this country. He arrived in Islamabad from China - one of the major military and political allies of Pakistan. And in Beijing and Islamabad, Sergei Shoigu was negotiating for the sale of weapons. In meetings with his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Khawaja, the subject was the sale of a batch of Mi-35 helicopters. Pakistan had initiated negotiations for this deal. With the help of these helicopters, the country is planning to confront terrorists and drug traffickers. The Pakistani military is also interested in the purchase of short-range and medium-range air defence systems, long-range guided missiles and multiple launch rocket systems.
Pakistan is beginning to shift from a solely pro-American orientation to a Chinese and Russian one, considers Konstantin Sivkov, military expert and vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems:
"Technology offered by Russia and China to Pakistan, is beneficial because American technology is completely incompatible with the one that comes from China. In comparison, the Chinese military equipment is largely identical to the Russian, as it is manufactured on the basis of Russian and Soviet designs. Therefore, for Pakistan, it is more profitable to shift towards Russia rather than support military-technical cooperation with the United States. Especially, when compared, American weapons are much more expensive than the Russian in general. And the effectiveness of Russian weapons is in no way inferior to the American".
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a meeting with Sergei Shoigu, expressed his satisfaction with the resumption of cooperation with Russia and called signing of the military cooperation agreement as "epoch-making". Military and political rapprochement between Moscow and Islamabad has generated a lot of speculation about its impact on relations between Russia and India. Igor Korotchenko, Director of the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade warns against attempts to push Pakistan and India against each other:
"Relations between Russia with Pakistan are in no way a counterweight to relations with India. India remains a major strategic partner of Russia in the military and especially in the military-technical sphere. With regards to possible Russian arms supplies to Pakistan, in the first place, it is the Mi35 helicopter, which does not violate the existing balance of power in the region. It is not directed against India, which has a significant military capability. I think that Delhi understands the need to expand the number of participants in a dialogue on security issues between Russia and other countries of the region".
A reducing of the US military presence in Afghanistan poses new risks to the leadership of Pakistan. These are associated with the capability of activation of the Taliban in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. It is exactly the scenario that has been predicted by expert at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, Azhdar Kurtov. Therefore, he considers that Pakistan is on a look-out for reliable partners:
"One of those partners may be our country. Pakistan has long been an observer in the SCO. And Pakistan and India are the two countries, which are scheduled to join the SCO as permanent members next year. Thus, expansion of security cooperation between Russia and Pakistan, and this is the purpose of the SCO, is understandable. Pakistan can and must play its role in strengthening of the security situation in the region. And since Russia wants to strengthen its role in the East, in South Asia, it also needs partners in the region, partners, which it can and should assist in the fight against terrorism and security".
In course of his visit, Sergei Shoigu was handed over an invitation extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed hope that the invitation will be accepted.
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN MOSCOW AND ISLAMABAD NOT DIRECTED AGAINST DELHI - News - Politics - Russian Radio
The military cooperation between Russia and Pakistan is not directed against India, it will strengthen capabilities of the SCO. From the military-technical point of view, for Pakistan, it is more profitable to shift to China and Russia than to cooperate with the United States.
Russian experts comment in this manner, results of the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Pakistan.
This is the first time in 45 years that a Head of the Russian Defense Ministry has visited this country. He arrived in Islamabad from China - one of the major military and political allies of Pakistan. And in Beijing and Islamabad, Sergei Shoigu was negotiating for the sale of weapons. In meetings with his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Khawaja, the subject was the sale of a batch of Mi-35 helicopters. Pakistan had initiated negotiations for this deal. With the help of these helicopters, the country is planning to confront terrorists and drug traffickers. The Pakistani military is also interested in the purchase of short-range and medium-range air defence systems, long-range guided missiles and multiple launch rocket systems.
Pakistan is beginning to shift from a solely pro-American orientation to a Chinese and Russian one, considers Konstantin Sivkov, military expert and vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems:
"Technology offered by Russia and China to Pakistan, is beneficial because American technology is completely incompatible with the one that comes from China. In comparison, the Chinese military equipment is largely identical to the Russian, as it is manufactured on the basis of Russian and Soviet designs. Therefore, for Pakistan, it is more profitable to shift towards Russia rather than support military-technical cooperation with the United States. Especially, when compared, American weapons are much more expensive than the Russian in general. And the effectiveness of Russian weapons is in no way inferior to the American".
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a meeting with Sergei Shoigu, expressed his satisfaction with the resumption of cooperation with Russia and called signing of the military cooperation agreement as "epoch-making". Military and political rapprochement between Moscow and Islamabad has generated a lot of speculation about its impact on relations between Russia and India. Igor Korotchenko, Director of the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade warns against attempts to push Pakistan and India against each other:
"Relations between Russia with Pakistan are in no way a counterweight to relations with India. India remains a major strategic partner of Russia in the military and especially in the military-technical sphere. With regards to possible Russian arms supplies to Pakistan, in the first place, it is the Mi35 helicopter, which does not violate the existing balance of power in the region. It is not directed against India, which has a significant military capability. I think that Delhi understands the need to expand the number of participants in a dialogue on security issues between Russia and other countries of the region".
A reducing of the US military presence in Afghanistan poses new risks to the leadership of Pakistan. These are associated with the capability of activation of the Taliban in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. It is exactly the scenario that has been predicted by expert at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, Azhdar Kurtov. Therefore, he considers that Pakistan is on a look-out for reliable partners:
"One of those partners may be our country. Pakistan has long been an observer in the SCO. And Pakistan and India are the two countries, which are scheduled to join the SCO as permanent members next year. Thus, expansion of security cooperation between Russia and Pakistan, and this is the purpose of the SCO, is understandable. Pakistan can and must play its role in strengthening of the security situation in the region. And since Russia wants to strengthen its role in the East, in South Asia, it also needs partners in the region, partners, which it can and should assist in the fight against terrorism and security".
In course of his visit, Sergei Shoigu was handed over an invitation extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Pakistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed hope that the invitation will be accepted.
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN MOSCOW AND ISLAMABAD NOT DIRECTED AGAINST DELHI - News - Politics - Russian Radio
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