KARACHI, July 17: Russia attaches great importance to its relations with Pakistan, which is strategically located and enjoys an important position within the Muslim world.

This consensus emerged at an interactive discussion, attended by a five-member Russian delegation of journalists and academicians, held at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs on Saturday, during which the visitors complained that a lack of information about each other had impeded progress in bilateral relations.

The delegation wanted to know as to how Pakistan looked at the possibility and consequences of India emerging as a global power, an increase in the growth of poppy in Afghanistan and the situation in the tribal areas.

The Russian delegation comprised Ms Serinko Irina, researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow State University; Mr Pakhomov Yevgeny Aleksandrovich of the weekly, Ezhenedelny Zhurnal; Mr Valentin Prussakov of weekly Zafra; Mr Shamil Zagiotovich Soultanov, member of the State Duma, and Mr Artur Belenov of Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

At the outset, the Russians stated that the South Asia was an important region and that Moscow was very much interested in its stability.

They emphasised that increase in bilateral exchanges of people and information between the two countries would generate better understanding of each other.

Mr Shamil Z Soultanov, Deputy of the State Duma and coordinator of strategic dialogue between Russia and the Islamic world, was very vocal when he said that despite this lack of information, international media reports about terrorism and extremism had distorted Pakistan's image.

Nevertheless, he drew a parallel between President Putin of Russia and Gen Musharraf, and claimed that both leaders were faced with almost similar political problems, and no one could predict with certainty what they really wanted.

He said that President Putin, despite spending two-and-a-half per cent of the Russian budget on defence, and having more than 20,000 nuclear warheads, was trying to create a balance in the rapidly evolving new power equation, in which relations with the Muslim world were very significant.

Paying tribute to Mr Putin's interactive policies at all levels, Mr Soultanov and other members of the delegation said that Pakistan, being an important Islamic country, would get support from Moscow, especially after the Russian president had declared in Malaysia that his country's desired to be associated with the Muslim world because the Russian Federation also had over 20 million Muslim population.

The visitors said that Russia under President Putin was supportive of the process of integration in the Muslim world, with whom Moscow's relationship had strategic dimension.

To a question about the evolving India-US-Israel axis and Pakistan's concern over its strategic and military implications, the visitors said that in Russia there was little concern over this development, as Moscow had its own perception of relationship with all those countries. To emphasise the point, Mr Soultanov said that about 75 per cent of the newspapers in Russia were in one way or the other influenced by Israeli lobby in that country.

The visitors were informed that the perception that Islam had anything to do with terrorism was baseless and malicious, and that on the contrary Islam preached moderation, peace and respect for human rights.

They were also communicated Pakistani people's concern over increase in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which was almost eliminated during Taliban rule there. The Russian delegation was also informed that Pakistan was concerned over increase in poppy growth because of its negative impact on the country, which was already grappling with drug problem since the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Responding to a question regarding Pakistan's response to India's possible rise as a global power, the visitors were informed that Islamabad had no objection to New Delhi playing its due role in the world as long as it had no dispute with Pakistan. But the contention that the US would like India to emerge as a global power was not shared by the PIIA members, who believed that at the most Washington would prop up India as a regional power, as a countervailing force to China. This they said was the old American policy of creating regional influential players.