MOSCOW, Saturday, May 31, 2025 (WNP): Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on the sidelines of the Eurasian Forum, where they discussed regional peace, security, and the growing militarisation of international alliances.

The 40-minute meeting took place in Perm, a suburb of Moscow, where Senator Mushahid was attending the Eurasian Forum as Pakistan’s sole representative, invited by the Russian Foreign Ministry and the ruling United Russia Party. Lavrov received him as part of a select group of five prominent Asian leaders, also including delegates from China, Turkey, South Korea, and Cambodia.

Senator Mushahid thanked Russia for maintaining a “positive and neutral” stance during recent tensions between Pakistan and India. He also lauded Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Eurasian Security Initiative, which envisions “indivisible security,” aligning closely with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative grounded in the UN Charter.

He strongly rejected Western-led security frameworks such as the so-called Asian NATO and the Indo-Pacific Strategy, criticising them as instruments of militarisation and confrontation.

Addressing the Eurasian Forum alongside Foreign Minister Lavrov, Senator Mushahid criticised India’s active involvement in pro-Western military groupings like the Quad (comprising the US, Japan, Australia, and India) and the Indo-Pacific Strategy, both of which he described as destabilising.

Lavrov’s keynote speech echoed similar concerns, declaring that “the Indo-Pacific never existed” and asserting that NATO is using it to entangle India in its anti-China agenda. In a rare public rebuke, Lavrov questioned India’s Quad membership, saying, “Indian counterparts claim their participation is economic, but Quad members are constantly conducting joint military exercises.”

Lavrov’s remarks were made in the presence of a 12-member Indian delegation, including three MPs from the ruling BJP, reportedly leaving them visibly unsettled.

On Afghanistan, Lavrov warned that “four years after its humiliating retreat, NATO is once again eyeing re-entry into the region,” signalling concern over renewed Western interventionism.

Speaking to Russian media, Senator Mushahid reiterated Pakistan’s appreciation for Russia’s balanced diplomacy and warm bilateral relations. He praised Presidents Putin and Xi for leading a joint vision of a peaceful, cooperative Eurasian future — one in which Pakistan, he said, was ready to play an equal and constructive role.

The forum, featuring over 100 delegates from 25 countries, served as a high-level platform to debate shifting geopolitical dynamics and regional cooperation across Eurasia.