Pakistan and Russia express interest in stronger military ties in high-level defense meeting

In this handout photo, taken and released by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza (4L), Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, holds meeting with Col. General Alexander Fomin, Deputy Defense Minister, Aleksandr Venediktov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and Col. General S. Y. Istrakov, Deputy Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Moscow on July 10, 2024. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)

• The two sides discuss issues like trade and energy security during Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza’s Russia visit
• The top security officials also focus on technical cooperation in the fields of defense and counterterrorism

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia have expressed interest in bolstering military-to-military ties in a high-level meeting between their top defense and security officials, according to a statement released by the military’s media wing in Pakistan on Wednesday.
The two countries have made concerted efforts to improve bilateral relations in recent years. Historically, Pakistan opposed the Soviet Union during the Cold War while aligning with the United States.
However, Islamabad has recently sought to strengthen ties with Moscow, including requests for discounted crude oil to address its balance of payments crisis and high energy import bill, as part of a broader strategy to diversify its international partnerships and economic dependencies.
The recent meetings between the defense officials of the two states took place during Chief of General Staff Sahir Shamshad Mirza’s visit to Russia.
“During the meetings, the participants underscored the importance of working on enhancing cooperation in multiple domains including connectivity, trade, energy and security,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement.
“Both sides discussed areas of mutual interest including bilateral military to military technical cooperation, regional security situation and the menace of terrorism,” it added. “Both sides expressed interest in strengthening bilateral military-to-military relationship.”
Pakistan has traditionally maintained strong military relations with the US, having procured much of its advanced military hardware from Washington.
In recent years, the country has gone into defense production with the assistance of China, which it views as its strongest regional ally.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s summit in Kazakhstan.
Sharif observed the Pakistan-Russia ties had remained on a positive trajectory in recent years, adding they would not be affected by his country’s geopolitical compulsions or relations with other states.