Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Pakistan Danila Ganich EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Daily Times spoke exclusively with Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Pakistan Danila Ganich. Here is the transcript of the interview. Q: Russia celebrates its Independence Day on June 12. Please tell us briefly about this holiday. A: Day of Russia, which we celebrate on June 12, dates back to the period of perestroika. In 1990, the Russian parliament proclaimed democratic development of the Russian Federation and adopted a declaration of Russian State sovereignty. In short, June 12 celebrates the first step of Russia towards democracy. Q: Could you tell us how you celebrate this holiday amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine? A: We do not celebrate anything. There is nothing to celebrate when we talk about hostilities. I would like to stress – this is not a conflict between two countries. This is a conflict between Russia and the collective West. Ukraine is being used as an instrument to obtain the goal of global dominance – hegemony. Russia is evolving into a strong state. It is already a military superpower and is developing at a very rapid pace. It makes independent decisions, while the United States and the collective West as a whole are pursuing neocolonial goals and are trying to crush descent in the international arena. Ukraine is a mere instrument to this end. Q: What are the ramifications of sanctions imposed against Russia? A: Let us take a look at the facts. President Biden predicted that the dollar/ruble (USD/RUB) exchange rate would be 200 RUB for one USD. However, current exchange rate is 80 RUB for one USD. Russia bounced back to the list of top ten global economies, which is easily verifiable. As for the sanctions, they are basically punitive measures imposed to change Moscow’s behavior, but these measures are futile. Their goal is to hit Russian citizens, to make them hurt. Objective observers understand that sanctions are futile when it comes to changing behavior of political elites. Take Cuba or North Korea, for example. Did they change their behavior? Moreover, just compare the size of those countries and their resources with those of Russia. Our country has an immense military potential, it has oil, gas, diamonds and water in abundance. It has climatic advantages so the global effects of climate change do not hit Russia that much. Russia also has an extraordinary scientific and technological potential. Our country is a space-faring nation. We got hypersonic missiles. It is a very weak bet to say that one can crush Russia militarily. As for ramifications, we have a weaker inflow of both advanced technologies and goods. We definitely felt it when the United States and its satellites froze the reserves of our Central Bank amounting to 300 billion dollars. This sum is their payment for Russian gas and oil. The resources were delivered to them but the payment was stolen. Objective observers will notice that this runs contrary to the spirit of capitalism. They are acting as totalitarian regimes. On the one hand, they are lecturing us on how we should behave, but at the same time they are resorting to double standards. As a staunch supporter of capitalist values, I believe one can not rob a partner. However, their behavior backfires. The decision to weaponize the USD will have longstanding negative consequences for both the USD and western economies. Q: Do you believe the international media is reporting on Russia-Ukraine conflict incorrectly or in a biased manner? A: I would not say that the term “international media” is applicable here, because when you say “international media” you should count RT in. Here you are rather asking about the western media. The western media are censored, biased and highly politicized. They are “the soldier of the ideological front” as people used to say back in the Soviet days. Basically, there is no diversity of opinions and no serious debate in the western media. However, when I have a chance to talk to western reporters they tell me informally that they understand that the picture is not black and white. Nevertheless, they cannot deviate from the story promoted by the establishment because they are afraid to lose their jobs. Thus, the United States, which tries to hold itself as a beacon of democracy, in fact has turned into a totalitarian state with newspapers that remind me of a Soviet communist newspaper called “Pravda” (Truth). Q: What was Russia’s reaction to the sanctions? A: First, we galvanized our cooperation with our Asian, African and Latin American partners. We strengthened our ties with promising centers of power, such as China or India. We diversified our political and economic contacts, including ones with our friendly Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Second, we spurred our own economic development. We started moving towards technological, food, energy and scientific sovereignty. Today the entire world is on the verge of a new industrial and scientific revolution. We do not know what the future holds, but we are definitely on the verge of something revolutionary. Russia is doing pretty well in a number of promising areas. For example, we are one of the leaders in artificial intelligence. We made great strides in industry. Thus, we have this chance to cut the corner and get out of the traditional pro-western system of coordinates. I hope that we will use our resources wisely and abandon the system that does not benefit us. If we try to make progress within the system, which does not suite us, we will always be lagging behind. We have to change the rules. The West constantly uses the term “rules-based order” presuming that those rules will be Western. Russia, China and other centers of power should not play by those rules. We must create our own system of coordinates, tap our potential and use this revolutionary change to become the leaders, because we must promote our own rules instead of following former superpowers. Q: Russia and Pakistan have recently celebrated 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. What are the prospects of Russia-Pakistan cooperation? A: The prospects are excellent. Pakistan is our friend and a reliable partner. We maintain a very productive dialogue in the international arena. We support each other in many crucial areas such as being committed to traditional family values. The Government of Pakistan has put forward a great initiative to establish an International Day to Combat Islamophobia. We fully support this initiative. I would like to highlight that Russia is home to 19 million Muslims. We have over 800 big mosques all across the country. Russian Christians, Muslims and other confessions live side by side in peace. We do not accept those crazy ideas that are flourishing in the West. We would like to see a family as a man, a woman and children. We reject the so-called “democratic innovations”. Both countries are committed to classic diplomatic school. We talk, we listen to each other and we are finding a balance of interests. We reject the language of ultimatums. We have excellent prospects for interaction in economy, regional infrastructure, and we support the Pakistan’s idea of regional connectivity. We support the efforts of your great country to strengthen and diversify regional ties. We have the same interest in a stable Afghanistan. So I think, since people of Pakistan are reasonable and open to new ideas, we have a brilliant future ahead of us. Q: Bilateral ties between Russia and Pakistan are marked by cooperation in different areas including economy, energy and security. However, the two countries should not focus exclusively on oil and gas. Do you think that Russia and Pakistan can work on developing heavy industries, joint ventures, oil refineries and diversifying our defense systems? A: We are already cooperating with our Pakistani partners in economy, military and military-technical fields. So let professionals identify promising projects and we will definitely move forward. As for energy, I can tell you that we already have a flagship project, the Pakistani Stream, which would transport gas from the Karachi area to the Punjab. The problem lies with the western sanctions, because the United States is threatening the participants of this project with consequences. And you understand that we are in a direct conflict with the United States. So basically it is a question which the Government of Pakistan should find its own answer to. Because we cannot and we will not try to influence sovereign decisions of the sovereign Pakistani Government. We understand that your country faces certain economic difficulties and we would not like to impose anything on your government. I stress – we would never condemn Pakistan for its refusal to expedite something which may hurt your country. The bottom line is that in order to make progress we need a political decision. Q: Please tell us more about the Russia-Pakistan deal. A: I would not like to disclose exact figures because those who try to hurt us are closely watching. I will just say that we started this interaction with Pakistan and supplied around one million tons last year, which is a lot. We are definitely ready to supply Pakistan with resources at mutually acceptable prices. However, as for exact figures, I would not like to give them out. Q: What can be done to bring our peoples closer? Do Russia-Pakistan ties have great future? A: Absolutely. Pakistan and Islamabad in particular is our second home. We are very comfortable here. We think we have a lot to learn from your great country and from your people. We believe that both the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Russian Federation have the brightest future because we are committed to the basic things. We do not want confrontation – we want cooperation. We want traditional values, we want traditional families. This is a solid guarantee that we will be in the same boat and we will support each other. We will be friends and partners.