Pakistan and Ukraine on Thursday denied a defence supply deal between the two countries amid speculations that the Ukrainian Foreign Minister (FM) Dmytro Kuleba’s Pakistan visit was focused on signing an arms deal.
During the visit, Islamabad also called for a restoration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Kuleba is on a bilateral visit to Pakistan from 20-21 July, during which he has met Pakistani FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PM Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. This is the first-ever visit of a Ukrainian FM to Pakistan ever since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1993.
“No Arms Deal”
Pakistani FM Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari welcomed Kuleba at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kuleba commented that in his meeting with Zardari, the two sides “focused on trade, digitalisation, agriculture, and education cooperation.”
Contrary to widespread speculation that the visit is regarding an upcoming arms deal for Ukraine, Zardari highlighted that since the war began, Pakistan has not concluded any agreement for defence supplies to Ukraine, keeping in view its principled, consistent, and non-partisan position on the issue.
Zardari said, “I’d like to reiterate that it is regrettable that certain media outlets have tried to publish unfounded reports alleging Pakistan has sent military supplies to Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s FM @DmytroKuleba held extensive talks with FM @BBhuttoZardari. Fruitful discussion encompassed bilateral, regional and multilateral issues. Pakistan is committed to strengthen bilateral ties in all areas of mutual benefit. pic.twitter.com/GeQfjWkMwP
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) July 20, 2023
Kuleba corroborated Zardari’s statement and said, “I can confirm that there are no contracts or intergovernmental arrangements between Ukraine and Pakistan (for military supplies).”
He further said the two countries’ military-technical cooperation dates back to the contracts signed in 1996 and related to the supply of the creation of the Al-Hadith tank in Pakistan with the support of the Ukrainian defence industry.
The Ukrainian FM reassured, “We want Pakistan to be by our side in the way it finds appropriate for itself.”
While Pakistan has repeatedly denied such claims, earlier reports have highlighted the emergence of Pakistan as one of the most prominent arms suppliers to Ukraine.
Recently, Pakistan signed a pact with the UK to supply 200,000 rockets worth $300 million to Kyiv. The UK also used Islamabad as an air bridge to supply arms to Ukraine via Romania in 2022.
Calls to Restore Black Sea Grain Initiative
The Pakistani FM said that the restoration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is in the interest of development, and he will be reaching out to the UN Secretary-General and his counterparts in Turkey and Russia to discuss Pakistan’s concerns.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative was a set of agreements negotiated by the UN and Turkey with Russia in 2022, permitting Ukraine to ship food and fertilisers to the global market from three Black Sea ports.
Pakistan also hoped the ongoing Ukrainian conflict would be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and said that Islamabad had vested interests in its resolution.
As the first Ukrainian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with @BBhuttoZardari. We focused on trade, digitalization, agriculture, and education cooperation. Grateful to Pakistan for joining efforts to preserve Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports. pic.twitter.com/HbPfFdTSy2
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) July 20, 2023
Zardari remarked, “The Ukrainian War has also brought difficulties for developing countries in the global South, particularly in terms of fuel, food and fertiliser shortages.”
Kuleba also briefed PM Sharif on the current situation in Ukraine, recalling that their countries had always enjoyed long-standing and cordial relations grounded in cooperation and friendship, with the common objective of contributing towards global peace and regional stability.
Russian Journalist Forced Out of Press Conference
Meanwhile, Russia’s state-owned news agency TASS reported that its correspondent, Ruslan Bekniyazov, was forced out of the press room at the Pakistani Foreign Office today while he was waiting for the Foreign Ministers’ Press Conference, which saw the participation of the Ukrainian FM.
Pakistan has maintained a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and is expected to continue doing the same for the foreseeable future.