Moscow, 03 February (H.S.): Russia disavowed any mediatory role in ameliorating Pakistan's fraught relations with India and Afghanistan during Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's annual press conference responses published Monday, reiterating its steadfast advocacy for bilateral resolutions consonant with the 1972 Simla Agreement and 1999 Lahore Declaration.

Non-Interventionist Posture: Assistance on Request Only

The Russian Foreign Ministry, addressing queries deferred from Lavrov's January 20, 2026, briefing due to temporal exigencies, affirmed: Russia does not act as a mediator between the aforementioned states, proffering auxiliary support solely upon solicitation to navigate discord among the triad.

Moscow's imprimatur underscores Islamabad's imperative to adjudicate disputes bilaterally, eschewing third-party arbitration amid perennial border contretemps and Afghan blowback.

Bilateral Momentum: Elevating Strategic Synergies

2025 heralded intensified diplomatic cadence, epitomized by President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's colloquy at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in China, alongside the 10th Russian-Pakistani Intergovernmental Commission convocation on trade, economics, science, and technology.

Prospective ventures encompass rehabilitating the Soviet-era Karachi metallurgical complex, insulin co-production, and inaugural transcontinental hauls via the International North-South Transport Corridor; a 2030 Trade and Economic Cooperation Programme looms, with overtures in hydrocarbons, regional barter—spanning Tatarstan and Primorsky Krai—and Pakistani provinces.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar