Growing Russia-Pakistan ties a reality that India will have to live with

[arp2041]

Russia is clearly interested in resetting ties with Pakistan


When Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin came here in July, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had a request to make: Could Russian President Vladimir Putin put off his visit to Pakistan in October so that the optics of the India-Russia summit meeting scheduled in November could remain unimpaired?

Mr. Rogozin demurred. Privately his diplomats explained how that would be difficult. Russia was as concerned as India about terrorist activity with bases in Pakistan but Moscow could not be more antagonistic than New Delhi which too is trying to build bridges with Islamabad through a dialogue process.

“We should not dramatise an outdated situation. Even in India, which Indian leaders can say Pakistan is an enemy?’’ stated a Russian diplomat. Even otherwise, the Russian side communicated to New Delhi, Mr. Putin’s proposed first-ever visit to Pakistan was more to do with Afghanistan where any future settlement of the problem will depend on how its neighbours will act, they said.

To South Block’s relief, Mr. Putin did put off his visit to Pakistan. But in an indication that Russia is clearly interested in resetting ties with Pakistan, that was not the end of the Russia story involving India and Pakistan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was to visit India on October 4, landed instead in Pakistan. His Cabinet colleague, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov postponed his scheduled visit to India as Pakistan Army Chief Asfaq Parvez Kayani flew to Moscow.

After Mr. Putin cancelled his trip, Moscow offered to send Mr. Lavrov in his stead. Islamabad was initially reluctant. Like India which did not like the idea of Mr. Putin first going to Pakistan, Islamabad did not want to be offered a Foreign Minister instead of a Head of Government. But Islamabad relented two days before Mr. Lavrov landed.

Officials in South Block maintain Mr. Lavrov had offered to come here from Pakistan but External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna was unavailable. They also dismissed the suggestion that Mr. Serdyukov had put off his India visit to meet Gen. Kayani in Moscow. “If Mr. Serdyukov had come to India as planned earlier, he would have reached Moscow in time to meet the Pakistan army chief,’’ said one official.

But New Delhi knows only too well it no longer has exclusive rights over Moscow. Russia has sold helicopters for civilian purposes to Pakistan which can be converted to military use with minimal fuss. This trend was only to be expected after India shifted from direct purchases of defence equipment from Moscow to competitive bids in which Russian companies lost a number of orders to the U.S. and other western companies.

India diplomats concur with their Russian counterparts over the main reason for closer Russia-Pakistan engagement — economics and securing the Russian underbelly from religious extremism. “We are not sleeping over the developments. It is entirely in the context of Afghanistan,” the official said.

Growing Russia-Pakistan ties are a reality that India will have to live with as part of Moscow’s growing engagement with other countries in the region such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

“India could have been more loyal to Russia in the field of military and technical cooperation and saved it from the disagreeable situation in which Moscow on its own has to search for markets to sell military equipment meant for Delhi,” said another Russian diplomat. The consolation: even in the most optimistic scenario, the diplomat asserted, military cooperation between Russia and Pakistan would remain insignificant and would not alter the balance of power in the region.


The Hindu : News / National : Growing Russia-Pakistan ties a reality that India will have to live with

 

[Splurgenxs]

Who the hell give a _ to who Russia engages , no one here been against this move.


ppl who see this as a negative need to know tht relations of Russia and India has matured alot, and the negativity Indian foreign affairs department is showing ,could very well be a helping hand to push Russia closer to pakistan. i need not explain more.


the only stupidity is when Pakistanis strt there usual one over the other charade they did with America back in the day.
If Russia has assimilated anything from India, it would definitely be on how to play it out between two parties wisely.

 

[ironman1]

well i don't think we are at loss here. RUSSIA won't help us if we are in skirmish with china (unlike USSR ). but US will , even indirectly , and now US is talking about JVs with us.
US sold F16 to pak and lost MRCA contest . i guess a lesson like that won't let russia give pak critical tech.

 

[Terminator]

World is going global....& dynamics are changing..priorities are monetary. Pakistan is desperately seeking new modern war machines at low cost.

 

[veekysingh]

too much hush hush

 

[arp2041]

Who the hell give a _ to who Russia engages , no one here been against this move.


ppl who see this as a negative need to know tht relations of Russia and India has matured alot, and the negativity Indian foreign affairs department is showing ,could very well be a helping hand to push Russia closer to pakistan. i need not explain more.


the only stupidity is when Pakistanis strt there usual one over the other charade they did with America back in the day.
If Russia has assimilated anything from India, it would definitely be on how to play it out between two parties wisely.

Well, whatever one says, but we certainly do, If a newspaper like The Hindu has to address the issue & run a story on it, than we definitely do, India feel like a man whose wife is flirting with the other guy/enemy .

But it's global reality, no country has exclusive friendship to any other country, this is globalization for u. After the break-up of the USSR, we faced the reality that newly formed Russia cannot fulfill our every aspiration the way USSR did, so what we did?? We made new friends in like Israel & the US, same goes for Russia & it is slowly moving away from India (but that doesn't mean that we will be at odds with each other soon). It is rightly said in International politics - "There are no permanent friends only permanent interests", & every slogans like - All weather friendship, Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai, etc. are just utter BS, given for self-satisfaction.

 

[anilindia]

Russian economy depends too much on defence equipment. With Russia no more only market for indian defence establishment, they will look for other sources.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Russians know what side their bread is buttered- they're not going to throw away >$50 BN from India for <$1BN for Pakistan.

No harm in getting both though. But you'd better believe the Russians won't ever sell them be latest tech that they are giving to India. Some outdated jet engines here and there is nothing to be alarmed about. The really fright should be I be Pakistani side seeing India cosy up with almost everyone from the US to France to SK to Japan to Brazil to Saud to Oman even China!

 

[$@rJen]

that doesn't mean Russia is leaving away from Indian friendship, and whom do u think Russia will help in case of war between India and Pakistan ..... pak knows very well it's going to be India...... if India pressures Russia, they'll be off Pakistan ties, that India won't do......because India knows Russia can't leave India behind Pakistan. as we're the backbone of their economy not Pakistan and never will be, its just a pakistan's influence in our relation with Russia.....again pak is going to be fooled itself as it's happening with USA..... anyway my pak dudes sorry no one in India worried with your posts......its like other guy said, Russians won't throw 50bill for 1bill from Pakistan.....

 

[Sergi]

Forgine policy of each country depends on its own interests. "Nothing more nothing less"
Russia definatly want to take advantage of USA's breaking relations with Pak. It's in their best interest to increase influence in Pak but question is will they do it on the cost of INDIA ???

Similarly India is strengthing the relation with USA.
Indian objectives
1 first is to bring China to discussion table at most possible favourable terms
2 Cut off Paks backing on international stage

Russian aim is to decrease US influence from region but they definatly know choosing Pak over India is pushing India into USA's arms and loosing billion doller business
And I think Russian leaders are clever enough to understand it. So Russians will stop at "good relations with Pak" and they won't cross the Red line

 

[INDIAISM]

Well, whatever one says, but we certainly do, If a newspaper like The Hindu has to address the issue & run a story on it, than we definitely do, India feel like a man whose wife is flirting with the other guy/enemy .

But it's global reality, no country has exclusive friendship to any other country, this is globalization for u. After the break-up of the USSR, we faced the reality that newly formed Russia cannot fulfill our every aspiration the way USSR did, so what we did?? We made new friends in like Israel & the US, same goes for Russia & it is slowly moving away from India (but that doesn't mean that we will be at odds with each other soon). It is rightly said in International politics - "There are no permanent friends only permanent interests", & every slogans like - All weather friendship, Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai, etc. are just utter BS, given for self-satisfaction.

Actualy India's wife is flirting with its enemy to make India understand that it doesn't matter whom you are flirting with but before all that you have to satisfy my desire....

Don't you know slogan has been changed...Now we call it

''Higher then Mountains,Deeper then oceans
Stronger then steel,Sweeter then Honey''..

 

[Sergi]

Russian economy depends too much on defence equipment. With Russia no more only market for indian defence establishment, they will look for other sources.

Definatly Russian economy is not that of USSR's but it isn't Bad also. Russian economy is growing and with time and efforts they will reach back to USSR levels but for that they need big markets for their products. All products not only defence products
Today major markets are - India , Brazil , China and Africa. Brazil and China are closed options. So India and Arfica are remains. Africa has long way to go. Indian market is big and potential is increasing every years.
So beside weapons world need the buying middle class of India.

 

[cyphercide]

It's hypocritical to expect any restraint from Russia when we ourselves are wholeheartedly embracing the liberalization of ties with Pakistan. However, it does appear that Moscow is now,albeit reluctantly, on board with being flexible to the Indo-US dynamic which is something to cheer about. Growing India-United States ties are now a reality that Russia will have to live with.

 

[Kompromat]

Russia is doing what benefits it, Pakistan will do the same. Russia wants its share in Afghanistan business therefore they need to talk to the biggest external stakeholder if they had done so in 70s instead of invading Afghanistan imagine what our region would look like today.

 

[arp2041]

Russia is doing what benefits it, Pakistan will do the same. Russia wants its share in Afghanistan business therefore they need to talk to the biggest external stakeholder if they had done so in 70s instead of invading Afghanistan imagine what our region would look like today.

I agree with first half of ur statement but not with the other half in which u say that if USSR would had talked to Pakistan, it wouldn't had to retreat the way it did, IMHO, it was the open support of mighty US to both Afghanistan & Pakistan that did the trick, Pakistan in no way could have influenced the Russian decision if US would not had supported it.