New Delhi: Trying to display a change in the attitude of Pakistan, the Russian envoy to India, Nikolay Kudashev has said on Monday, that the country has taken “serious measures” to curb terror financing and shown the desire to be a part of global and regional efforts to fight the menace.

He made this remarks amid bilateral ties between Russia and Pakistan appear to grow. Last year in September, the two countries held a two-week long military drill – DRUZBA 2017 – which focused on operations targeting counter-terrorism to boost bilateral defence ties.

Mr Kudashev cleared the issue of both the countries getting closer to saying that Moscow’s relations with New Delhi “are unique and second to no one”.

Replying to a question about Russia seeing Pakistan as a reliable partner to address its interest in Afghanistan, the envoy said that the integrity 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 to curb the financing of terror… The integrity of Pakistan is growing, and there is no reason to deny its wish, its desire to be part of regional and global efforts to fight terror,” Mr Kudashev said in his address at the Ananta Aspen Centre’s Ambassador Series in New Delhi.

Russia is a significant partner of India and is a major supplier of defence equipment. India has been maintaining that Pakistan is the “global epicentre of terrorism”.

But Mr Kudashev also commented on the problems in Afghanistan and said that to solve it without taking on board every neighbouring country is impossible.

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

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

Kudashev is a career diplomat and specialist on South East Asia and was appointed Russia’s Ambassador to India in August.

Talking over the issue of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, he said Moscow was ready to cooperate with China on BRI, saying it considers the controversial project from an economic perspective.

The BRI is a Chinese initiative and aims to link Asian and European markets through a maze of rail, road and shipping networks. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is also a part of BRI and India is against CPEC as it runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Replying to another question, Mr Kudashev hoped that major defence deals between the two countries, including the one to deliver the Kamov helicopters to India, needs to be sealed after Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Russia this month.

When asked about the Russian response to air strikes on its ally Syria by the US, France and the UK, he said there would be a response but without the violation of framework of the international law.

“Nobody should expect us to follow the American adventurism and provoke conflict in other parts of the world.”

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