Beyond the existing sectors like defense and energy, there are other sectors that can help deepen their ties
The visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to New Delhi for the 21st India-Russia Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlights the continued efforts by the two leaders to promote and take forward the ‘India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’. puts. In the new grammar of multipolarity and globalization, it is of utmost importance for trusted partners to ensure lasting sensitivity to their mutual interests.
strategic partnership
More importantly, the strong partnership between India and Russia has emerged from the shackles of the legacy of the Cold War. A pragmatic and result-oriented approach will pave the way for the most reliable partnerships. In an environment of unprecedented regional and global changes, the Putin-Modi meeting can not only ensure a new lease of life, but also give more vitality to this trusted brotherhood.
India-Russia relations have stood the test of time and faced the ever-changing nature of national interests. Despite the quagmire of real politics, the relationship between the two countries has deepened over time. This exceptional resilience is built on a strong foundation of strategic national interest and the synergy of geopolitics.
In the post-Cold War era, India has emerged as an economic superpower and a major stakeholder in today’s global debate, be it climate change, international trade or the threat of terrorism. Russia presents a win-win situation for deep cooperation with its global position and presence. This relationship between the two countries has evolved over time, deepening the integration and widening the breadth of the relationship.
a structure in place
Russia has been one of India’s closest friends and allies since the signing of the “Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership” in October 2000, which opened new opportunities in strategic, science and technology, space, energy, nuclear relations, trade and commerce. opened up. Culture and people-to-people contact. For the smooth functioning of this strategic partnership, it was governed by an institutional dialogue mechanism involving key stakeholders at the political and official levels. Mr. Putin’s visit to India in December 2010 marked the beginning of a new chapter in India-Russia relations when the Strategic Partnership was elevated to the level of a “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”.
convergence and divergence
There is a lot of convergence between India and Russia in various fields. Russia is a major and major supplier of arms and armaments to the Indian Armed Forces accounting for over 60% of the arms. It covers the entire gamut covering Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. India has recently inducted the S-400 Triumf missile system. Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft, T-90 tanks, and Talwar and Krivak-class stealth frigates are the major weapons in the arsenal of the Indian Armed Forces. India-Russia defense cooperation has evolved from a buyer-seller model to new areas of military-technical cooperation. The BrahMos missile system was a successful collaboration of joint research, development and production. Science and technology, nuclear, energy, space have been the major driving forces. But the difference between India and Russia is increasing due to changes in interests and capabilities due to geopolitical differences. In terms of geo-strategy, Russia is aligned with China and India is more stable towards the United States. This inconsistency was evident in the views of India and Russia on Afghanistan.
Bilateral trade has seen both countries progress from defense and energy to IT, pharmaceuticals, agro-industry, mineral and metallurgy, fertilizers and infrastructure projects. India-Russia trade was valued at US$ 10.11 billion in 2019-20, but this is not a true reflection of the potential that can be tapped.
stability and diversity
To broaden cooperation, the ‘2+2’ mechanism has become the standard framework for cooperation. The inaugural ‘2+2’ dialogue between the Foreign and Defense Ministers of the two countries promises to give a new impetus to the special and privileged strategic partnership. The uniqueness of this approach not only ensures result-oriented cooperation but also deliberates on regional and global issues of mutual concern and interest. At a time when global politics is in flux, it becomes more important to have confidence in leadership as well as compatibility with geopolitical and geo-economic realities. Therefore, this emerging political framework provides the relations with the necessary agility to mend their differences and deepen their bonds. The Modi-Putin meeting has given a clear signal to the world that the India-Russia partnership is an incredible friendship ensuring stability and diversity.
Defence, trade and investment, energy, and science and technology may be part of the agenda, but India and Russia need to work together in a tripartite manner or using other flexible frameworks, especially in Southeast Asia and Central Asia. Their growing cooperation could be a force of stability and would bring greater diversity to the region, while strengthening multilateralism.
Second, the two countries need to look at people’s power-youth exchanges as well as deeper ties in various fields including sports, culture, spiritual and religious studies.
Finally, Buddhism may be an area where both countries can expand their dialogue, where peace and stability can act as a balm in this turbulent world.
Rajiv Ranjan Chaturvedi is Associate Professor at Nalanda University, Rajgir, Bihar. views expressed are personal
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