Moscow, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, thanked him for Russia’s ‘positive neutrality’ during recent Indo-Pak clash. He made these remarks during a 40-minute meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister before the start of the Eurasian Forum at Perm, outside Moscow. Lavrov metSenator Mushahid Hussain as part of a group of five prominent Asian politicians, including China, Turkey, Korea and Cambodia. Senator Mushahid was especially invited as the only guest from Pakistan by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ruling ‘United Russia’ party to deliver a keynote address at the Eurasian Forum, attended by over 100 delegates from 25 Eurasian countries. The Russian Foreign Minister emphasised that Russian foreign policy aims at promoting peace, security and stability in the region. Mushahid also appreciated President Putin’s Eurasian Security Initiative since it views Security as being ‘indivisible’, saying it was similar to President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative, Upholding the UN Charter. Senator Mushahid rejected the notion of an ‘Asian NATO’ or ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy’ as these reflected militarisation of international relations. Later, together with the other key Asian leaders from China, Turkey, South Korea and Cambodia, Senator Mushahid joined the Russian Foreign Minister at the Eurasian Forum. In his remarks at the Eurasian Forum, criticism was voiced of both the Quad and ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy’, two key pro-Western alliances of which India is a part, reflecting Russia’s public discontent with India’s pro-Western and anti-China role in Asia. There were 3 key takeaways from the Russian Foreign Minister’s important policy speech at the Eurasian Forum, which are particularly relevant for Pakistan. First, he criticised the so-called ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy’, of which India is an integral part, saying ‘this Indo-Pacific had never existed and NATO made up the Indo-Pacific Strategy to drag India into their anti-China schemes’. Second, Lavrov indirectly criticised Indian participation in the four-country QUAD military alliance (US, Japan, Australia & India), in front of a strong 12-member Indian delegation, that included 3 parliamentarians from the ruling BJP Party. Lavrov said about India’s membership of QUAD, ‘we engaged in discussions with our Indian counterparts who emphasised that their intent in joining QUAD was confined exclusively to trade and economy (but) in practice, however, QUAD nations are already endeavouring, with notable persistence, to organise joint naval exercises’! There was a stunned silence from the Indian delegation at the conference in the face of such frank criticism. Third, Lavrov made another telling remark, this time about Afghanistan. He accused NATO of trying to stage a comeback to Afghanistan: ‘four years after their ignominious retreat, NATO is once again seeking new points of entry into Afghanistan’. Speaking to the Russian media, Senator Mushahid Hussain thanked the Russian government and people for their positive role in the recent Indo-Pakistan crisis and their warmth and friendship towards Pakistan. He praised President Putin and President Xi Jinping as ‘two strong leaders who are marching forward together to build a peaceful and prosperous Eurasia, a quest in which Pakistan will play a key role as an equal partner’.