Russia says it is ready to help ease the rift between Pakistan and Afghanistan, offering itself as a possible go-between in a dispute over cross-border militancy that has shut a key trade route. Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert Khorev made the remarks on Monday at a roundtable on bilateral ties at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, The Diplomatic Insight reported on Tuesday, in reporting also carried by Soon Times and Khaama Press.
Khorev voiced concern over worsening relations between the neighbours and said the prolonged border closure was hurting Pakistan's trade links with Central Asia and Russia, expressing hope that the crossing would reopen soon. He said the consequences were not limited to security and terrorism concerns: the closure had brought Pakistan's trade with partners in Central Asia and Russia to a halt and was hindering wider trade expansion.
The offer follows a week of stepped-up Russian engagement across the region. Khorev disclosed that the dispute was a major topic during last week's visit to Islamabad by Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev — the first Russian holder of that post to travel to Pakistan — who met civilian and military leaders including Field Marshal Asim Munir. Around the same time, Russian foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin held talks with Taliban officials in Kabul, and a senior Russian Security Council official visited New Delhi.
Moscow's offer carries weight because of its ties with Kabul: Russia became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban government last year and signed a military-technical cooperation arrangement with it in May, though the details have not been made public. But Moscow and Islamabad do not see the Taliban the same way. At the Moscow Format talks on Afghanistan earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke warmly of the Taliban-led administration while Pakistan pressed Kabul to act against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the meeting ended without a joint statement after Pakistan said the Afghan side had rejected language on militant networks operating from its soil. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of letting the TTP plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan from Afghan territory; Kabul denies this.
Pakistan has left the door open to a Russian role, but on its own terms. Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Islamabad would welcome sincere efforts by friendly countries to address its security concerns, but added that he knew of no separate formal Russian mediation initiative, and that any such effort should deliver tangible progress — which ultimately depends on verifiable Taliban action against militants. Pakistan's Ambassador to Russia, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, who also spoke at the Islamabad event, focused on the bilateral agenda: visa facilitation, direct flights, removing banking and payment barriers, a planned business forum, and transport links through Iran, Afghanistan and China. The two countries have agreed to work towards an economic cooperation programme running through 2030.
Sources: The Diplomatic Insight; Soon Times; Khaama Press reporting via Afghanistan Peace Campaign; statements by Russian Ambassador Albert Khorev and Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan.