PAK RUSSIA Relations

Mi-35 Helicopters agreement (19-8-15)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia on Wednesday signed a landmark defence
deal that includes the sale of four Mi-35 Hind E attack helicopters to
Pakistan.
The agreement was signed by top defence officials from Pakistan and Russia
in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, said a military source.
Both countries were negotiating the deal for the past year, signalling a major
thaw in relations between the two cold-war rivals.
Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had also visited Russia in June,
after which a draft contract for the delivery of four Mi-35M 'Hind E' combat
helicopters was sent to Pakistan from Russia.
General Raheel Sharif had spent about 15 hours at an arms expo near
Moscow that featured Russias cutting edge weapons and military
equipment. He inspected not only the weapon systems on display but also
saw their live demonstrations.
Late last year, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived on a visit to
Pakistan which was aimed at discussing bilateral defence cooperation with
the Pakistani leadership.
CEO of Russia's Rostec hi-tech corporation, Sergey Chemezov, had also last
year said Russia had lifted its embargo on delivery of military hardware and
armaments to Pakistan and negotiations were being held on delivering
helicopters.
Russias Foreign Ministry also said both sides have been negotiating the
delivery of helicopters and that Pakistan currently has a number of Mi-17
helicopters delivered by the United States to assist in the fight against
militancy.
The Mi-35 helicopter is an exceedingly modernised version of the Mi-24
(Hind) combat helicopter with new onboard equipment and avionics. It also
has a more powerful engine and a different tail rotor.
Pakistan and Russia had signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement
aimed at strengthening military-to-military relations in November last year.
The deal had to be followed by another technical cooperation agreement to
pave the way for sale of defence equipment to Pakistan.

Besides helicopters, Pakistan also appears interested in other Russian

hardware.
Russia and Pakistan have lately been working on enhancing defence
cooperation and are believed to have already covered a lot of ground.
Exchange of visits by military commanders in recent years is an indication of
progress achieved in this regard.
Indias decision to enter into tighter embrace with the US had prompted
Russia to rethink its defence relationship with Pakistan.

Russian to build $2.5bn gas pipeline in PAK

Russian state-owned construction company Rostekh Corporation is planning to build a 680-mile
gas pipeline in Pakistan in 2017 at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion. It will be Russia's first largescale project in Pakistan since the 1970s.
Rostekh Corporation will construct the pipeline, attracting both Russian and foreign financing,
although attracting credit from western banks will be all but impossible for the company, which
is on the sanctions lists.

Chinese competition

In April this year China and Pakistan struck a preliminary agreement to construct the so-called
Peace Pipeline from Iran to Pakistan. Teheran says that the Iranian section, which is about 560
miles long, is already finished. For many months Islamabad had held behind the scenes talks
with China on the construction of the Pakistani section of the pipeline, which is estimated at $2
billion.
"Moscow needs to hurry in order not to give the Pakistani market to China," says chief scientific
collaborator at the RAS Institute of Middle East Studies, Vladimir Moskalenko.
An unnamed government official told business daily Kommersant that it is geopolitically
important for Russia to strengthen its position in Pakistan, including in the gas transportation
sector, since in the future the country may become a fundamental route for transit gas to India.
However, the construction of the pipeline in Pakistan may have a negative effect on Russia,
writes Gazeta.ru. The online newspaper cites partner at Rusenergy Mikhail Krutikhin as saying
that, "in essence, the gas pipeline that Russia will build will become a part of the future gas route
from Iran to China."

"Participating in the Pakistani project is not to Russia's advantage," Krutikhin warns. "Supplies
from Iran will reduce China's dependence on gas, including gas from Russia."

From another source

In the fast-changing geopolitics in its neighbourhood, India needs to watch Russia from the
Pakistani prism and Pakistan from the Russian prism.
This should sum up the state of affairs in the newly emerging India-Pakistan-Russia triangle
where the United States and China are the crucial X factors.

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI
The latest example of Russia-Pakistan bonhomie is the news emanating from Islamabad that
Russia has agreed to invest $2 billion in Pakistan to build an 1100-km-long energy pipeline from
Karachi to Lahore to transport liquefied natural gas.
Pakistan Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was quoted by Pakistani daily Express
Tribune as saying thus on 18 April: "Pakistan and Russia have finalized an LNG pipeline deal in
a recent meeting in Moscow and the two countries will sign a government-to-government basis
deal next month."
More details are as follows. In return for the Russian investment, Russian companies will be
awarded the contract to build the pipeline. Russia has offered to sell gas to Pakistan and will start
its first LNG exports to Pakistan in 2016. The Russia-Pakistan contract will be awarded without
any formal bidding process, which clearly means that it is a G2G or government-to-government
understanding implying how closely Moscow and Islamabad are now working.

Pakistan is a potential lucrative market for gas exports for Russia which is the second largest
natural gas exporter in the world.
Significantly, the move also means that Pakistan is willing to dare the United States-led Western
community which has announced crippling sanctions on Russia for Moscows perceived sins of
omission and commission over the Ukraine episode.
Naturally Pakistan cannot embark on this roadmap without the approval of China. This means
that an interesting Russia-Pakistan-China synergy is emerging in the regional and global matrix.
And all this is obviously at the expense of India.
Of late, a strategic shift is noticeable in Pakistan-Russia relations which this writer discussed in
some detail here http://www.firstpost.com/world/will-the-pakistan-russia-military-exercisemake-new-delhi-moscow-ties-sour-2199754.html
The Pakistan-Russia bonhomie had started way back in the tenure of Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf, the Pakistani dictator who saw merit in courting Russia. During General Musharrafs
tenure, a Pakistan-Russia tango was considered a fools dream considering very strong and
vibrant Russia-India ties.
But the geopolitical equations have changed drastically now. Pakistan-Russia proximity is not a
diplomatic improbability anymore.
One major sign of Russia-Pakistan rapprochement came in 2012 when the then Pakistan Army
chief General Kayani visited Russia. This was followed by a groundbreaking visit by Russian
defence minister Sergei Shoigu to Pakistan on 20 November, 2014, the first visit by a Russian
defence minister to Pakistan in 45 years.
Afghanistan was the central theme of Shoigusdiscussions withhis Pakistani counterpart Khawaja
Muhammad Asif . Russia and Pakistan signed an unprecedented defence agreement after talks
between Shoigu and Asif.
Russia is in search of newer friends and markets in the wake of the Western sanctions. Anyone
ready to stymie the West and embrace Russia at this point of time is welcome for Moscow.
Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world to do this.
Thats why and how it is the best time for Pakistan and Russia to script a never-before story of
bonhomie which could not materialize all these past decades.
From the Russian point of view, India is a changed girlfriend who is having dalliances with the
US-led Western community. The multi-billion dollar Indian defence contracts have dried up for
the Russian companies. To add insult to injury, the US has already displaced Russia as the single
biggest defence exporter.

Simultaneously, the diplomatic-strategic graph of Pakistan for Russia has risen sharply. The
American/NATO troops have started withdrawing from Afghanistan and only a small
inconsequential number of these troops will remain in Afghanistan by 2016 end.
This would mean a concurrent increase in Pakistans profile in Afghanistan and Russia would
like to tap this source for tackling an Afghanistan in Pakistani grip the way China has done for
years. From this perspective, Pakistan is far more important for Russia though Russia and
Pakistan do not share border.
Salvaging ties with a trusted and tested strategic partner like Russia should be a high priority for
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi will have an opportunity to do this when he visits Russia in July this year to participate in
the BRICS summit. Needless to say, Pakistan will be an elephant in the room when PM Modi
holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It will perhaps be the first-ever Indo-Russian summit when the two old friends will be talking
under the lengthening shadow of Pakistan.