The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk paid an official two-day visit to Pakistan from September 18-19, 2024.
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk departed from Pakistan on September 19, after the completion of a historic and successful visit. Additional Foreign Secretary (Europe) Shafqat Ali Khan and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation Muhammad Khalid Jamali were present at the Islamabad International Airport to see off the dignitary.
It is worthy to note that last year, the bilateral trade between the two countries reached in excess of 1 billion USD. Pakistan and Russia also aim to build the 1100 km long Pakistan Stream to transfer Pakistan a total of 1.4 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year.
Pakistan and BRICS Membership: Growing Multi-Polarity
Pakistan officially applied for the BRICS membership in November 2023. BRICS is an international intergovernmental organization that has now 9 member countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Pakistan needs Russian approval to become a BRICS member. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation Ambassador Muhammad Khalid Jamali said last year that Pakistan will have full support of Russia to become a BRICS member.
During the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk to Pakistan, he said that “We are glad that Pakistan has applied. BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are friendly organisations. We will support this.” This statement is quite encouraging that Russia is willing to cooperate with Pakistan and to expand its relations. The Russian news agency TASS reported that the Deputy Prime Minister also said that “Over the past year, we have seen a significant expansion of BRICS, and countries from all over the world are showing great interest in joining.”
The expansion of BRICS is a clear indicator of the growing multipolarity and multilateralism around the globe. Also, it is a sign of the failure of the Western institutions and countries losing their trust in monopolistic organizations.
Signed MoU between Russia and Pakistan
Pakistan also signed an “Instrument of Accession to the MoU on Creation and Development of an International Transport Corridor.” The latter corridor includes countries Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
An MoU was signed between Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX) and Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) and was signed by the Acting Managing Director PMEX Farhan Tahir from the Pakistan side, and by the President SPIMEX Igor Artemyev from the Russian side.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Russia to Pakistan
It is to be remembered here that Pakistan is an energy thirsty country and as the Winter is approaching, the energy shortfall likely will increase manifold. In such a scenario, a country like Pakistan needs to feed its huge population as well as intend to keep the wheel of industry spinning. To suffice these needs, Pakistan has a dire need of Russian LPG, coal, and other fossil fuels and hydrocarbons.
Pakistan received its first ship loaded with LPG from Russia in September 2023, and now both countries could expand their mutual energy relations.
Pakistan to Pursue an Independent Foreign Policy
The two-day official visit of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk to Pakistan was successful, and he met with key Pakistani leadership including the President, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and also with the Chief of Pakistan’s Army Staff. These very important meetings reflect one thing in particular that Pakistan is determined to pursue an independent foreign policy amid the severe Western sanctions as the Russian Special Military Operation is underway in Ukraine.
Conclusion
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk’s visit to Pakistan is a welcome development that will have far-reaching effects on the international relations. This visit was seen with suspicion by the West, especially the United States (US). However, does not openly support Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine, primarily due to its worse economic situation and its dependence on the US-led International Monetary Fund (IMF). Nonetheless, Pakistan has not made any negative official statement and fully understands Russia’s position. This visit has revealed that Pakistan intends to pursue an independent foreign policy and has no wish of joining bloc politics.
Pakistan is already a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and it is keen to join BRICS. The SCO and BRICS are the instruments of Russia as well as China to promote multipolarity and multilateralism throughout the globe. Undoubtedly, Russia is spearheading as the sole leader of the Global South to safeguard the rights of the weak countries. It is to be remembered here that the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will attend the SCO Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad next month.
Muhammad Ali Baig – is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI), Pakistan. He is a Ph.D. candidate and a distinguished graduate of National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, Pakistan, exclusively for the online magazine «New Eastern Outlook»
