INDIA - RUSSIA RELATIONS – INTERNATIONAL
News: PM
Modi calls for dialogue and diplomacy in call with Russian President Vladimir
Putin
What's in the news?
● Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on December 16, 2022 held a telephone conversation with
Russian President Vladimir Putin and reiterated
the requirement for “peace and diplomacy” over the crisis in Ukraine, stated
in a press release from the Government of India.
● The
Russian side informed that the two leaders discussed multiple issues including “mutual investment” and areas like energy
cooperation, agriculture, transport and logistics.
Key takeaways:
● Following
up on their meeting on Samarkand on
the sidelines of the SCO Summit, the two leaders reviewed several aspects of
the bilateral relationship, including
energy cooperation, trade and investments, defence and security cooperation and
other key areas.
● India-Russia
relation has received great deal of western attention in 2022 especially after Russia emerged as the topmost supplier of
energy to India in the backdrop of the war in Ukraine that was started on
February 24 with Russian missile attacks on Ukraine.
● Russia
has continued to remain on top of the list of energy suppliers to India despite
western criticism that has received strong pushback from India. Earlier this
month, External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar said Europe should not set
India’s energy priorities.
● The
two leaders also discussed “close coordination” regarding the Indian Presidency
of G-20 and the upcoming Chair ship of India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO).
● As the President of G-20
and Chair of the SCO, India is expected to host the summit meetings in 2023.
● Mr
Modi met with President Putin in Samarkand for the SCO summit in September when
the Indian leader urged for peace and diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine.
● The
two leaders have held several phone calls during 2022 primarily to seek
evacuation of Indian nationals from battle torn regions of Ukraine as well as
for finding an end to the war which has dragged on.
India-Russia Relations:
Backdrop:
● Russia has been a
longstanding and time-tested partner for India.
Development of India-Russia relations has been a key pillar of India’s foreign
policy.
● In
the Cold War era, India had signed the Indo-Soviet
Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with the USSR in August 1971, just
before the onset of the Indo-Pak War in December 1971. This was a significant
deviation from India’s previous position of Non-Alignment during the Cold War.
● Post
the Cold War era, A Declaration on the India-Russia
Strategic Partnership was signed in October 2000. Since then, the ties have
acquired a qualitatively new character with enhanced levels of cooperation in
almost all areas of the bilateral relationship. Under the Strategic
Partnership, several institutionalized dialogue mechanisms operate at both
political and official levels to ensure regular interaction and follow up on
cooperation activities.
● During
the visit of the Russian President to India in December 2010, the Strategic
Partnership was elevated to the level of a
“Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”.
● The
21st India- Russia summit took place in December 2021 where the leaders
reiterated a Partnership for Peace, Progress and Prosperity.
Areas of Cooperation:
1. Defence partnership:
● Defence
ties are one of the highly influential aspects of India-Russia relations.
● Relations
include technology transfer, joint
development, marketing & selling and export of equipment.
● It
has provided significant enhancement to India’s indigenous defence
manufacturing.
● Some
of the major defence collaboration programs are BrahMos Cruise Missile program,
Sukhoi Su-30, S-400 and Tactical Transport Aircraft.
2. Energy Security:
● In
the Energy sector Russia has built nuclear
reactors in India (Kudankulam reactors), adopted strategic vision in
nuclear energy, offered oil, gas and investment opportunities in the fuel
sector of Russia e.g., Sakhalin I etc.
3. Space technology:
● India
and Russia have a four-decade strong relationship in the field of space.
● The
former Soviet Union launched India’s first two satellites, Aryabhata and Bhaskara.
● Russia
has provided India with cryogenic
technology to build heavy rockets.
4. Global Partnership:
● Russia
has supported India’s bid for a permanent seat in UNSC.
● It
has been favoring Indian entry to the
Nuclear Supplier Group.
● Both
countries coordinate each other over various forums including BRICS, SCO, G20
etc.
5. Cultural Cooperation:
● From
people-to-people contacts (through
programs like ‘Namaste Russia’) to sharing educational brilliance of both the
countries through institutes like Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre, both the
countries have had good cultural links.
● There
is strong interest among Russian people in Indian dance, music, yoga and
Ayurveda.
● As
Russia and India both desire a multi-polar world, they are equally important
for each other in fulfilling each other’s national interests.
Growing Challenges:
Due to the changing geopolitical
scenario, the relationship between both countries is not as good as it used to
be in the cold war era.
1. India’s recent proximity to the United States:
● Rapidly
expanding ties and growing defence relationship between India and US, and India
joining QUAD group led by the US has led to a strategic shift in Russia’s
foreign policy, pushing it to align with China.
2. Defence partnership:
● India
has been recently diversifying its defence relations with US, Israel, etc,
leading to a reduction in Russia’s share of Indian defence imports.
3. One Dimensional Trade:
● India
Russia trade has been mostly restricted to defence trade.
● Trade
in 2017-18 was $10.7 billion, which is far below potential in comparison to
India’s trade with China ($89.7 billion), the United States ($74.5 billion).
● Other
challenges in boosting trade include - a number of issues that hinder
India-Russia trade, like connectivity issues, distance, weak banking links,
cumbersome regulations on both sides and Russia’s restrictive visa regime.
4. Change in Russia’s foreign policy posture: tilting
towards Pakistan, China and even recognizing Taliban.
● Pakistan
- conducted military exercise; signed a military-technical cooperation
agreement for arms supply and weapon development.
● China
- increasing strategic military relations between the two nations; Russia
selling advanced military technology to China; endorsing China’s One Belt One
Road initiative.
5. Differences over the Indo-Pacific:
● Both
India and Russia have a difference of opinion in understanding the concept of
the Indo-Pacific.
● Russia
opposes the term Indo-Pacific as the term is primarily a US-led initiative
aimed to contain China and Russia.
● Russia
does not accept the concept of QUAD. Instead, Russia supports the concept of
Asia Pacific.
Importance of mutual relationship:
● Russia
is important to India as it could help to balance Chinese aggression in the
region (Russia organized India-China meeting for peace talks after deadly
clashes in Galwan Valley), for combating terrorism (early finalization of India’s
proposed Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism) and for support
at Multilateral forums like UNSC, NSG, etc.
● Similarly,
India is significant for Russia as it wants India’s help to lessen its growing
dependence on China, to revive Eurasian Economic Union and help Russia
re-establish its hegemony.
Regaining India-Russia Relationship:
1. Sochi Informal Summit 2018
- The strategic partnership between the two has been elevated into a “special
privileged strategic partnership”.
2. Reinforced defence ties
- Both countries finalized Su-400 air defence systems and nuclear-powered
submarine (Chakra III) deal, construction of Ka-226 helicopters in India under
Make in India initiative.
3. Improving Trade Relations
- India Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue was started in 2018 to achieve the
target of $30 billion investment goal by 2025 between both the countries
4. India participated in Eastern Economic Forum (2020)
which aims to support the economic development of Russia’s resource rich Far
East. India has extended a $1 billion line of credit for the development of
this region. Also, proposal for maritime route between Chennai and Vladivostok
has been made.
5. Strengthening Energy cooperation
- Cooperation in development of oil in Russia including its arctic shelf and
joint development of projects on the shelf of the Pechora and Okhotsk Seas. For
increasing connectivity both sides called for the development of the International North South Transport
Corridor (INSTC).
Potential Areas for Deepening Ties:
1. Connectivity
- There is scope for improvement in trade between Russia and India if the
International North-South Transport Corridor through Iran, and the
Vladivostok-Chennai Sea route can be operationalized.
2. Technology
- India can benefit from hi-tech cooperation with Russia in the fields of
artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, outer space, and
nanotechnology.
3. Education, R&D
- India can also cooperate with Russia on upgrading its basic research and
education facilities.
4. Diversifying Economic Engagement
- Apart from traditional areas of cooperation such as weapons, hydrocarbons,
nuclear energy, and diamonds, new sectors of economic engagement are likely to
emerge - mining, agro-industrial, and high technology, including robotics,
nanotech, and biotech.
5. Mutual benefits in trade of
natural resources such as timber, and agriculture can also be harnessed.
6.
India must concentrate on export of its strength areas (sectors such as
IT/ITeS, pharmaceuticals and healthcare).
7. Climate Action:
India and Russia.
WAY FORWARD
1. Engaging Russia into Indo-Pacific Narrative:
● India
should pursue and facilitate Russia’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific.
● Russia’s
active engagement in the region would contribute to making the Indo-Pacific
truly “free and inclusive”.
2. Prioritizing RIC in Indian Foreign Policy:
● India
must promote a mutually beneficial trilateral cooperation between Russia, India
and China, that could contribute towards the reduction of mistrust and suspicion
between the three countries.
3. Cooperation at Multilateral Forums:
● Strengthening
ties through various multilateral organizations including BRICS, RIC, G20, East
Asia Summit, and SCO, where avenues for cooperation on issues of mutual
importance exist.
4.
India has to balance itself between
Russia and the US, both of whom look up to it for cooperation and
engagement.
Despite
growing divergences on various areas, both sides know the importance of each
other in this rapidly changing, uncertain global environment. India’s investment in the Far East,
which is often neglected given that Russia is seen as a European power in the
post-Soviet era, also underlines India’s desire to draw Russia into its
strategic forays in the Indo-Pacific. Also,
despite the threat of US sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries
Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), India has remained firm on buying the S-400
Triumf air defence missiles system. All these shows that the relations between
both are on a stronger trajectory.