Gwadar port Photo by Umargondal via Wikimedia Commons
In a major strategic development, Russia is seeking to join China Pakistan Economic Corridor – a $ 46 billion project linking the region with Arabian Sea – and Islamabad has indicated a formal approval to Moscow’s request.
During a visit to Turkmenistan – where Pakistan joined two other key trading routes Ashqabat Agreement and Lapis Lazuli – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif indicated that the Russian request could soon become a reality.
Russian President Vladimir Puting is likely to visit Pakistan in 2017 in a sign of warming relations between the Cold War foes.
Moscow’s bid to join the CPEC began with backdoor diplomacy between Russia and Pakistan and, if if materialized, would fulfill Russia’s longtime quest to have access to warm waters of Arabian sea through Gwadar Port.
Recently, according to media accounts, Russian spy master Alexander Bortnikov made a secret visit to Pakistan and met with different Pakistani high officials. During the meetings, the Russian side stated that it was interested in enhancing defense and military ties with Pakistan, adding that cooperation between intelligence agencies of the two countries would also be reshaped.
The Russian intelligence chief also visited Gwadar and after gauging the economic opportunities available in the area, gave a green signal to Moscow to go ahead with the move to join the massive connectivity project.
Pakistan and China would look into the Russian government’s request.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Italy and other European countries have also shown interest in taking patrt in some of the many CPEC projects.
The European countries are planning to undertake some projects that are part of the CPEC and are negotiating with Islamabad in this regard.
A number of Central Asian states and Iran have already sought to be part of the momentous energy and trade corridors.
According to defence analysts, Moscow’s entry and European interest are developments of great significance for South Asia. India, which considers itself closest ally of Russia for the last 70 years, has been vocally opposing the project.
In another strategically important move, Moscow is hostinng a trilateral meeting on Afghanistan next month, to be attended by China and Pakistan.
Strikingly, India, which has been trying to become an influential player in Afghanisstan, has not been invited to the meeting.
Under the CPEC a 3,218 kilometer route will connect Kashgar in China’s western Xinjiang region to Pakistan’s southwestern port of Gwadar.
Currently, nearly 80 per cent of China’s oil is transported by ship from the Strait of Malacca to Shanghai, a distance of more than 16,000 km, with the journey taking between two to three months. But through Gwadar, the distance would be reduced to less than 5,000 km.
Initial trade between Gwader and Chinese Western provinces has already under way and Chinese merchandise ships with thousands of tons of goods sailed off to Gulf and African destinations from Gwadar recently.
