*New Delhi: *The Russian envoy to India, Nikolay Kudashev, said Monday thatPakistan has taken “serious measures” to curb terror financing and shownthe desire to be a part of global and regional efforts to fight the menace.

His remarks come as ties between Russia and Pakistan appear to grow. InSeptember last year, the two countries held a two-week long militaryexercise – DRUZBA 2017 – focusing on counter-terrorism operations to boostbilateral defence ties.

Responding to a question on whether Russia sees Pakistan as a reliablepartner to address its interest in Afghanistan, the envoy said theintegrity of Pakistan was growing.

“The credit (must) be given to Islamabad. After this country joined the SCO(Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), it started taking serious measures tocurb the financing of terror… The integrity of Pakistan is growing andthere is no reason to deny its wish, its desire to be part of regional andglobal efforts to fight terror,” Mr Kudashev said in his address at theAnanta Aspen Centre’s Ambassador Series in New Delhi.

Mr Kudashev said the problems in Afghanistan would be impossible to solvewithout taking on board every neighbouring country.

“This logic also guides us towards further developing relations withPakistan, which is, on the other hand, Russia’s historic and importantregional partner as well. These ties are not emanating from the regionalbalance of power equations, but growing on their own merits,” he said.

“Importantly, we don’t look at the situation in the region from the pointof view of bilateral disputes, which we are not in a position to interfereor take sides,” he said.

Kudashev, a career diplomat and specialist on South East Asia, wasappointed Russia’s Ambassador to India in August.

On China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, he said Russia was ready tocooperate with China on BRI, saying it views the controversial project froman economic perspective.

The BRI aims to link Asian and European markets through a maze of rail,road and shipping networks. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a partof BRI and India opposes CPEC as it runs through Azad Kashmir. HoweverRussia hs said it is eager to invest and participate in the CPEC projectwhich is the flagship project of the BRI.

Replying to another question, Mr Kudashev hoped that major defence deals,including the one to deliver the Kamov helicopters to India, should besealed after Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Russiathis month.

Asked about the Russian response to air strikes on it ally Syria by the US,France and the UK, he said there would be a response but within theframework of the international law.

“No body should expect us to follow the American adventursim and provokeconflict in other parts of the world.”

He said after the ISIS was defeated in Iraq and Syria, the terror groupspread its influence in the eastern and northern provinces in Afghanistanand began penetrating Central Asia states “fuelling radicalisation in localMuslim communities and calling for a global jihad”.

This is of immediate concern tor Russia since it has robustpeople-to-people contacts with these nations, he said.