*ISLAMABAD:* As the Trump administration and its NATO allies are pursuingmilitary options in Afghanistan despite their failure over the past 17years, Pakistan and Russia will hold high-level talks in Moscow this weekto explore ways for the political process to succeed in the war-torncountry.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister KhawajaAsif will pay a working visit to Moscow at the invitation of his Russiancounterpart Sergey Lavrov on February 20. “The ministers will discuss thecurrent state of affairs and prospects for strengthening of bilateralrelations … and exchange views on important issues of the international andregional importance,” Russian Foreign Ministry senior official MariaZakharova told a news briefing on Feb 15.

“Today we can state that cooperation with Pakistan features prominently onthe list of Russia’s foreign policy priorities. We maintain an intensivepolitical dialogue with Islamabad and maintain constructive interaction oninternational platforms, primarily, the UN,” she said. Record of thebriefing was posted online.

Foreign Office Spokesman Mohammad Faisal did not reply to a query about theforeign minister’s visit. The spokesman usually does not offer comments onimportant issues, depriving the independent media of official version ofthe government of Pakistan.

Khawaja Asif and Sergey Lavrov are likely to focus on Pakistan and Russia’srole to press for political negotiations to end the Afghan conflict as bothare concerned at the continuation of the war that is now a destabilisingfactor in the region.

Pakistan fully backs the Russian regional peace initiative for politicalsolution to the Afghan conflict that has received strong support fromregional countries including China, Iran and the Central Asian states whichare directly affected by the continued war in Afghanistan. Pakistan hadactively participated in all meetings Russia had hosted last year under theMoscow format of consultations on Afghanistan.

In January, Russia offered to host the representatives of the Taliban andthe Kabul administration as part of its peace initiative. “For our part, weare ready to facilitate and will continue to promote the process ofnational reconciliation in Afghanistan. If need be, we are ready toprovide, for example, the Moscow venue for contacts between representativesof Kabul and the Taliban,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson saidon Jan 31.

Moscow’s approach about Afghan reconciliation is similar to Pakistan, whichinsists that every country should play its role for peace in Afghanistanwhich seemed elusive at least for now as the American commanders areimplementing Trump’s new Afghan policy with troops surge and increase inaerial strikes against the Taliban. Pakistan had adopted the similarapproach in the four-nation QCG process, however the US and Afghanistanwould press Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the table.

In a trilateral meeting in Moscow in December 2016, Russia and China as theUN Security Council permanent members had confirmed their ‘flexibleapproach’ to delisting Afghan individuals from the UN sanctions lists astheir contribution to the efforts aimed at launching peaceful dialoguebetween Kabul and the Taliban.

Taliban have long been demanding removal of the names of their leaders fromthe UN sanctions list as a confidence building measures for the politicalnegotiations.

Pakistan and Russian foreign ministers will meet ahead of the meeting ofthe Kabul Process in Kabul on Feb 28. The first meeting was held in Junelast year at a time when the Russian initiative had received support in theregion for peaceful solution to the Afghan problem.

Pakistani political analysts are satisfied with the increased interactionbetween Pakistan and Russia, the cold war era rivals.

Former ambassador Ayaz Wazir argued that deteriorating relations betweenPakistan and the US was one of the major factors of Islamabad-Moscowrelations getting stronger. “Pakistan and Russia do not want to fight theUS but it is the US which considers Russia is a major threat and has alsoadopted a hostile policy towards Pakistan. Weeks after US suspendedPakistan’s aid, it is now leading a move to put Pakistan on a globalterrorist-financing watch list with an anti-money-laundering monitoringgroup,” Wazir told Daily Times on Sunday.

“If the US harms Pakistan, we have the right to find other friends.Pakistan has already good understanding with Russia on the issue ofAfghanistan. China, Iran, Turkey and Central Asian states also support theidea of peaceful solution to the Afghan problem,” he said.

Said Nazir Mohmand, a retired brigadier, opines that the US has adopted a‘threatening posture’ towards Russia and Pakistan that is one of the mainfactors in Pakistan and Russia coming closer. “I think Pakistan is now onthe path of strategic defiance against the US policies. Pakistan hasalready a trusted friend in the shape of China and its approach to boostrelationship with Russia will have another alternative,” Mohmand told DailyTimes.

He said if the US suspends or ends military cooperation with Pakistan, thecountry could opt for military cooperation with these countries, addingthat Russia has already provided four advanced attack Mi-35M attackhelicopters to Pakistan