Sochi summit

The one-day summit of Presidents of Pakistan, Russia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan on Wednesday, was the second summit of the quartet after the July 2009 Dushanbe moot. At the first summit, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had hoped the meeting would provide a new format for regional co-operation that would benefit all the participants.
President Asif Zardari, who was scheduled to stay for another day in Sochi, had already decided to return soon after the conclusion of the meeting in view of the crisis the country is facing. Zardari and Medvedev held a bilateral meeting, along with their delegations, on the sidelines of the summit where the two sides agreed to look afresh at their strategy in the war against terror and organised crime and pledged to stay course against the threats to regional peace and stability.
Russia promised all possible support to Pakistan in dealing with the catastrophic floods as the second Russian Il-76 cargo plane, with emergency relief, was set for Islamabad. In his televised remarks after meeting Zardari, Medvedev called the floods a severe disaster and expressed sorrow over the large number of casualties and the economic loss suffered by Pakistan. He expressed keenness to provide assistance to Pakistani people at this moment of trial. He also said he was desirous of co-operating with Islamabad in fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and international crimes.
Medvedev also stressed that while continuing the political dialogue, it was highly important to develop economic ties between the four countries. Zardari and Medvedev recognised that they needed to enhance regional co-operation to face difficult challenges, like natural disasters, which included the floods in Pakistan and the huge fires in Russia. In the joint declaration, issued at the conclusion of the quartet's summit, the four countries agreed to pursue joint economic projects to help bring stability to the volatile region.
The leaders called for joining hands to initiate regional projects, particularly noting the potential of energy, transport and trade sectors for the development of the region. Among the projects on the list was the transmission of power from Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan. During the cold war era, Pakistan's relations with Russia fluctuated from cool to antagonistic and hostile. With the end of the cold war, there was expectation that the two countries would offload the baggage of past tensions, arising out of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and steer a new course towards co-operative relations.
The assumption was that both countries would be able to free themselves from the thinking in the cold war mould and instead see each other as potential partners in promoting stability and security in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Certain irritants, however, continued to exert a negative influence on their relations. These included Russia's monogamous relations with India in the supply of arms, the turbulent situation in Afghanistan, Islamabad's support for the Taliban and threats of destabilisation in Central Asia, by terrorists trained in Afghanistan.
With Pakistan taking a firm stand against extremists and terrorism, there is a need for a breakthrough in bilateral relations with Russia. For this to happen, it would require a reappraisal on the part of Russia, of its policy of total support to India and on the part of Pakistan, to get rid of total reliance on the US, among other things, in the purchase of sophisticated arms.
Pakistan stands to benefit from improved co-operation with Russia and the Central Asian states. The oil and gas-rich states in the region can be of great help to energy deficient Pakistan. Improvement of the road-cum-railway links between Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Russia would provide market access to the Central Asian countries and the rich Siberian regions of Russia to the Middle East.
Trade through Pakistan would bring Islamabad monetary benefits. Russia has expressed its willingness to participate in the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, the renovation and expansion of the Pakistan Steel Mills, the improvement of railway tracks and projects in the energy sector and has also offered to increase the number of Pakistani students in Russian academic institutions. With improved relations with Russia, Pakistan's dependence for sophisticated weapons on the west would also significantly decline. The enhancement in co-operation is, however, predicated on peace in Afghanistan. Realising this, the quartet agreed that terrorism should be taken as a common problem and the partners should evolve collective strategies to deal with the threats posed by terrorist networks.