Pakistan looks to purchasing military equipment from Russia - prime minister’s advisor

WASHINGTON, July 25. /TASS/. Pakistan is looking to a possibility of purchasing weapons and defense equipment from Russia and also expects broader cooperation with Moscow in energy, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi told reporters on Saturday. Fatemi is certain that the effort undertaken in the past two years by Russia and Pakistan to develop their relations "is bearing fruit now" and over the past 18 months Russia and Pakistan have made more headway. Along with this, Fatemi noted that "There have been more exchanges at senior levels. And we also signed an MOU on cooperation in defense." "Russia has also been helpful to us, along with China, in accepting our request for a membership in SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]," he said. When asked about prospects for deliveries of Mil Mi-35 helicopters to Islamabad, Pakistani prime minister’s special assistant replied: "We are looking at possibility of purchasing of defense equipment from Russia but no agreement has been signed so far." "Why do we say that? Because Russia has an expertise and an experience. And, in fact, very few may know, that it was Russia, or, rather, the Soviet Union, that was the first country to come to Pakistan to assist us in the power and energy sectors as far back as the mid-sixties," he said. However, he went on to say that it was more important from Islamabad’s point of view "that Russia is in a position to assist us in the power and energy sectors." Besides, in early 1970s the Soviet Union helped the country with construction of a steel plant in Karachi, Fatemi said declining to comment on a current state of talks between Moscow and Islamabad on a construction project of the Karachi-Lahore pipeline. "And the last I knew, the agreement was ready for signature. Has it been signed, I don't know," he said adding that Pakistan was seeking assistance from "a giant Russian company, that will set up a gas pipeline from Karachi all the way to the north. It is known as the South - North gas pipeline project." Along with this, Pakistani prime minister’s assistant is certain that relations between Russia and Pakistan are improving and today they are much better than in many a year. Read more