Only three days have passed since the Ukrainian ambassador in Pakistan, Markian Chuchuk, on March 31 called upon Pakistan’s chief of the army staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, it still remains the hottest news on all the TV channels, print media and on the internet.
The Ukrainian envoy issued an invitation to General Bajwa from the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, to visit Ukraine at the end of April. The invitation was accepted and now the preparations for the visit are under way in both countries. It is interesting to note that this is the first such high profile visit since Ukraine gained its independence 30 years ago.
Although both countries have been involved in defense cooperation for the last 25 years, lately Pakistan has scaled-down defense cooperation with Ukraine and increased its procurements from Russia. The reasons given were that Ukraine was an unreliable partner, with a history of non-performance, late deliveries, inferior quality supplies and exorbitant prices. The trade volumes between the countries fell and eventually reduced to the supply of spare parts for Ukrainian tanks in service with the Pakistani Army. No new Ukrainian strategic defense item has been supplied to Pakistan Army in the last few years.
Pakistan and Ukraine share many similarities. They both have powerful enemies across the border. The leaders of both countries (Prime Minister Imran Khan, and President Vladimir Zelensky) are not career politicians. They both entered politics to fight corruption, build institutions, and create structural reforms. Neither leaders can feel satisfied with their achievements so far in their respective countries.
Since March last year, UkrOboronProm, under the leadership of Aivaras Abromavicius and later, under Yuriy Husev, with full support from the Deputy Prime Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Urusky has taken some bold steps to break the monopoly of their lone agent/buyer/consultant in Pakistan, who was exclusively entrusted to carry out defense-related contracts between UkrSpetsExport and Pakistan.
Once the monopoly was broken, other reputable and powerful consultants came forward and they have managed to convince Pakistan to continue its defense partnership with Ukraine. Since then, several new contracts have been signed. Visits by Pakistan Army officials to Ukraine have become more frequent. Many new strategic items are under consideration for signing. Moreover, the recent development of General Bajwa’s impending visit to Ukraine sends a very good signal for the Ukraine-Pakistan bilateral relationship, and a point of concern for both India and Russia.
It is hardly a hidden truth that Pakistan’s chief of the army staff is the de facto CEO of the country (although de jure he is just the army chief). Nothing happens without his blessing. If his visit to Ukraine is successful then one can expect a series of high-profile visits from Pakistan including, but not limited to, the prime minister and foreign minister.
In order to make General Bajwa’s visit successful and make him warmly disposed to Ukraine, it seems crucial that the Ukrainian president and prime minister, in addition to the minister of defense and Ukrainian army chief, should meet with him. They should discuss matters of mutual interest and give him a cordial welcome. The full array of Ukrainian leadership should work hard to articulate Ukrainian aspirations and possibilities of cooperation to their Pakistani counterparts.
