ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia’s troops began their joint military exercises in the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, Pakistan military’s media wing, the ISPR, said in a statement on Monday.
Termed the ‘Druzhba-III’, the drill this year is one of several conducted by both the countries since 2016 and marks the third edition of the annually-held “friendship” exercise, the statement added.
Expected to continue till November 4, the drill is being held at a training range in the Pabbi town of the KP province. “Troops from the two countries will exchange experience in combat training missions in highlands as well as in fighting against illegal armed gangs,” a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated before the drills commenced.
“The drills will be held at the Pakistani training center for special forces in Cherat at an altitude of 1,400 meters as well as at the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) in Pabbi,” the statement added.
More than 70 servicemen of the Russian armed forces are participating in the exercise, the ministry confirmed, adding that the joint exercises are aimed at strengthening and developing bilateral military cooperation.
Pakistan and Russia have been deepening their military cooperation over the past few years. In 2014, Russia lifted a longstanding arms embargo imposed on Pakistan, while in August 2015, it agreed to sell four Mi-35M attack helicopters to Pakistan.
“Pakistan and Russia are entering a new phase of security cooperation from bilateral cooperation to multilateral cooperation,” Qamar Cheema, a strategic and political analyst, told Arab News.
He added that another reason for the military exercises was “to deal with the threat of the Islamic State (Daesh) in this region as Russia seeks to lead the war against Daesh in central and south Asia”.
“The joint exercise confirms that Indo-Russia defense deals will not undermine Islamabad-Moscow’s strategic cooperation,” Zafar Jaspal, professor at the school of politics and international relations at Quaid-e-Azam University, said.
“Working together to combat the menace of terrorism is indeed a positive sign,” he told Arab News.
Pakistan, Russia conduct joint military exercises
Pakistan, Russia conduct joint military exercises
- Have been taking part in “friendship” drills since 2016
- Activities aimed at strengthening and developing bilateral military cooperation
At UNSC, Pakistan warns competition for critical minerals could fuel global conflict
- The demand for critical minerals has surged worldwide due to rapid expansion of electric vehicles, advanced electronics and clean energy technologies
- Pakistan’s representative says all partnerships in critical minerals sector must be ‘cooperative and not exploitative’ and respect national ownership
ISLAMABAD: Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), has warned that intensifying global competition over critical minerals could become a new driver of global conflict, urging stronger international cooperation and equitable access to resources vital for the world’s energy transition.
The warning comes as demand for critical minerals and rare earth elements surges worldwide due to the rapid expansion of electric vehicles, advanced electronics and clean energy technologies, with governments and companies increasingly competing to secure supply chains while raising concerns that this may lead to geopolitical rivalries in the coming years.
Speaking at a Security Council briefing on ‘Energy, Critical Minerals, and Security,’ Ahmad said experience showed that the risks of instability increased where mineral wealth intersected with weak governance, entrenched poverty and external interference.
“Access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is essential for development, stability and prosperity. The global transition toward renewable energy, electric mobility, battery storage and digital infrastructure has sharply increased the demand for critical minerals,” he said.
“This upsurge has generated new geopolitical and geo-economic pressures. If not managed responsibly, competition over natural resources can affect supply chains, aggravate tensions, undermine sovereignty and contribute to instability.”
In several conflict-affected settings, he noted, illicit extraction, trafficking networks and opaque financial flows have fueled armed conflict and violence, weakened state institutions and deprived populations of legitimate revenues.
“The scramble for natural resources and its linkage to conflict and instability is therefore not new,” Ahmad told UNSC members at the briefing. “Pakistan believes that natural resources must serve as instruments of economic development and shared prosperity, and not coercion or conflict.”
He urged the world to reaffirm the right of peoples to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, saying all partnerships in the critical minerals sector must be cooperative and not exploitative, respect national ownership, ensure transparent contractual arrangements and align with host countries’ development strategies.
“In order to prevent the exploitation of mineral-producing countries and regions, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings, support their capacity-building for strengthening domestic regulatory institutions, combating illicit financial flows, ensuring environmental safeguards, and promoting equitable benefit-sharing with local communities,” he asked member states.
“Promote equitable participation in global value chains. Developing countries must be enabled to move beyond extraction toward processing, refining and downstream manufacturing. Technology transfer, skills development and responsible investment are essential to avoid perpetuating structural imbalances.”
