Pakistan And Russia Agree On Afghanistan Strategy
Isabella Beham
Value Walk | 21 February 21, 2018
www.valuewalk.com/2018/02/pakistan-russia-afghanistan-strategy/
Nearly two months after President Trump announc-
ed the termination of security aid to Pakistan amid
allegations of Pakistan aiding and abetting terrorists,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced
on Tuesday that Russia will continue to work with
Pakistan on their counterterrorism efforts.
The announcement came during a press confer-
ence after a Tuesday meeting held in Moscow
between Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart,
Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. The two
ministers announced that for the first time ever,
Russia and Pakistan will form a joint military commis-
sion to address some of the military and security
concerns shared by the two countries. They also
expressed that they were eager to increase bilateral
cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest to
the two nations.
Lavrov said during the press conference, “We
have confirmed Russia’s readiness to continue boost-
ing Pakistan’s counterterrorism capacity, which is in
the entire region’s interests.”
The meeting is being hailed in Pakistan as “a new
chapter in Pakistan-Russia relations.”
Security Concerns
Amid security concerns, the two ministers also dis-
cussed the situation in Afghanistan, agreeing that
there is no military solution. They asserted that the
only way to cultivate peace in Afghanistan is through
a peace process led and owned by Afghanistan, not
foreign entities.
Focusing on terrorism, Asif pointed towards the
proliferation of the Islamic State into Afghanistan as a
spot for concern shared between Pakistan, Russia,
and the Central Asian nations. According to Asif, the
Islamic State militants in Afghanistan now outnumber
the Taliban.
The Pakistani Foreign Minister couldn’t resist a
dig at the US, claiming that both the US and Afghani-
stan continue to focus on the Taliban and ignore the
reality of the situation. Asif told the press, “There is
absolutely no real acknowledgement by Kabul and
Washington of such a large presence or proliferation
of Daesh in Afghanistan… the Daesh presence is
definitely alarming for us because they are not a
party to negotiations in Afghanistan.”
US Cuts Aid
The US cut aid to Pakistan at the beginning of the
year. The security aid was estimated to be worth
more than $1 billion. President Donald Trump
tweeted his explanation:
The United States has foolishly given Pakistan
more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last
15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies
& deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They
give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in
Afghanistan, with little help. No more!
The President’s tweet led to further accusations
from the US (and India) that Pakistan had failed to do
enough to prevent terrorists from seeking safe
haven in Pakistan where they could then organize
themselves and plot attacks on Afghan and American
forces stationed in Afghanistan. Many within the US
also accused Pakistan of financially benefiting from
the US supply networks that cut through the coun-
try, while others have found it hard to forget that
public enemy #1, Osama bin Laden, was found hiding
out in Pakistan, just one mile from Pakistan’s main
military training academy.
President Trump’s decision was not without its
critics, who insisted the end of US security aid to
Pakistan would only push Pakistan closer to China
and Russia.
Pakistan Responds
Pakistan, of course, rejected the accusations. Asif
took the joint press conference with Lavrov as an
opportunity to again highlight Pakistan’s indignation.
Asif said, “We remain committed to fighting the
menace of terrorism in cooperation with the inter-
national community, including Russia, despite our
heavy human and material losses.” The Pakistani
Foreign Minister also pointed out that Pakistan has
lost some 70,000 lives in the fight against terrorism.
Lavrov responded by saying that Russia “deeply
appreciated Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in the
fight against terrorism.” Both Foreign Ministers
agreed to coordinate their activities related to the
conflict in Afghanistan.
Blaming the US weak, although various CPEC projects aim at
increaseing Pakistan’s energy production.
The Foreign Ministers for Pakistan and Russia were
able to agree that an Afghan-led peace was needed,
part of their new Afghan strategy seemed to be to
blame the US and NATO.
Where Asif made the accusation that the US
and Afghanistan have not properly addressed the
growing threat of an Islamic State presence in
Afghanistan, the Russian FO was careful to position
Russia as the opposite of the US, saying, “We are
very preoccupied by what is happening in Afghani-
stan and by the expansion of IS influence.” Lavrov
acknowledged the seriousness of the threat, pointing
out that there are already 1,000 ISIS militants in
Afghanistan. The militants are mostly located in
Eastern and Northern Afghanistan.
Lavrov echoed the allegations of his Pakistani
counterpart, accusing the US of ignoring the growing
ISIS threat in Afghanistan, “We are alarmed as unfor-
tunately, the US and NATO military in Afghanistan
makes every effort to silence and deny [the Daesh
group’s presence in Afghanistan].” The Russian
Minister also said that Moscow holds “very serious
suspicions” about the NATO-led coalition in Afghan-
istan and the efforts being made to diminish the
threat.
Both Russia and Iran have been accusing the US
of causing the growth of the Islamic State in Afghan-
istan, claiming that ISIS has been able find safe haven
in the war torn country and pointing out that despite
16 years of involvement in Afghanistan the US has
been unable to secure a lasting peace or cultivate
any stability for the Afghan people. Russia also claims
that they have documented unmarked helicopters
flying into insurgent hotbeds in Afghanistan, virtually
unchecked by the US or NATO-led forces.
Lavrov also explained how ISIS functioning in
Afghanistan is a unique threat to Russia, “This is right
on the borders of our Central Asian neighbors. It
increases the risk of terrorists entering Central Asia,
from where it’s not difficult for them to get to
Russia, and further.”
Joint military training between Pakistan and
Russia began in 2016. The Foreign Ministers said the
trainings will continue as a part of the new Pakistan-
Russia commission.
During the press conference, Lavrov reinforced
that security concerns, namely terrorism, is one of
the priorities of the Russia-Pak cooperation, but also
pointed to the opportunity for economic coopera-
tion between the two countries as well. Lavrov
particularly highlighted potential collaboration in the
energy sector, where Pakistan has been notoriously