Islamabad, Pakistan: The proposed visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pakistan links with the fate of Pak-Russia economic projects including North South LNG Pipeline, reports Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency.
According to news agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin can visit Pakistan in last quarter of this year if Pakistan takes clear stance on Pak-Russia economic relations.
News agency while referring sources reports that the issue of visit of Putin to Pakistan would come under discussion during the meeting of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with Russian President Putin in Astana in second week of this June.
According to sources, the tour of Putin depends upon different factors including the fate of Liquefied National Gas (LNG) pipeline project that Russia wishes to execute in Pakistan.
It may be mentioned that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in March 2016 invited President Vladimir Putin to visit Pakistan but invitation was regretted and Russian Foreign Office through its Ambassador in Islamabad Alexey Dedov indicated that there was lack of “enough substance” on the agenda to justify such a visit. Diplomatic circles believe that Russians express their annoyance in a polite manner over constant delay in projects those had been under process and Russian companies have already spent a huge amount over surveys and feasibility reports of such projects. The prime example of such projects is North-South Pipeline Project.
The groundbreaking of North-South Pipeline Project is being delayed for the last two years due to supposed pressure of United States on Pakistan. Twice US put Russian companies on sanction list those were planning to execute this mega project. The groundbreaking of project was supposed to take place year 2016 to link LNG terminal in Karachi with Lahore. This project is North-South Pipeline Project. The project was signed between Russia and Pakistan on October 16, 2015. This is Government-to-Government Agreement between Russia and Pakistan and Russian Minister for Energy Alexander Novak visited Pakistan to sign the project with his Pakistan counterpart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Russia also offered LNG export but Pakistan preferred to buy LNG from Qatar.
After detail deliberation between Russian and Pakistani experts in December 2016, it was decided that project would enter construction phase by May 2017 but Pakistan again delayed the groundbreaking while demanding further cut in gas supply fee. Pakistan was ready to give 80 cents per mmbtu fee while Russian companies were demanding 90 cent per million British thermal units (mmbtu) for gas supply. However, Russian companies accepted offer to charge 85 cent per mmbtu fee. It was decided that Russia and Pakistan will announce groundbreaking date after a meeting of experts that was scheduled during March 19 to 21. However, Pakistani authorities refrained from this meeting and no new date for such meeting has been fixed so far.
Sources claim that Russian Foreign Office is clear that visit of President Vladimir Putin to Pakistan would only come on agenda when Russia and Pakistan reach to initiate (groundbreaking) of Gas Pipeline project and provide more construction and oil and gas related projects to Russian companies.
