Indo- Russia relations

Indo- Russia relations

 

Why in the news?

Recently,PM Narendra Modi visited Russia in his first Bilateral Visit in his third term.

This is also the first time that the Indian PM Narendra Modi and the Russian President Vladimir Putin met in person after the Russia invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

 

Key Points

  • The visit to Russia is a statement of the importance New Delhi accords to its relationship with Moscow.
  • The visit underlines India’s foreign policy priority and the importance of deepened India-Russia Relations.

 

Indo russia relations

Historical background:                                   

  • India and Russia have enjoyed good relations since 1947.
  • It started with a visit by the then Indian PM Nehru to the Soviet Union in 1955 and the First Secretary of the Communist Party Khrushchev’s return trip during the same year.
  • India and the Soviet Union signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendshipin August 1971
  • After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, India and Russia entered into a new Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in January 1993 and a bilateral Military-Technical Cooperation agreement in 1994.
  • In 2000 both countries established a Strategic Partnership.
  • In 2010, it was elevated to the level of a “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.”
  • PM Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the Russian Far East and this visit is intended to give “a new direction, new energy, and new speed” to the bilateral relations.

 

 

Russia geographical background

  •  It is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world.
  • It extends across eleven time zones and borders sixteen sovereign nations, the most of any country in the world.
  • Physical Features: Caucasus Mountains (containing Mount Elbrus, which at 5,642 m s the highest peak in Russia and Europe); the Altai and Sayan Mountains in Siberia; and in the East Siberian Mountains and the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East (containing Klyuchevskaya Sopka, which at 4,750 m is the highest active volcano in Eurasia).
  •  The Ural Mountains, running north to south through the country's west, are rich in mineral resources, and form the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia.
  • Islands and Archipelago: Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya, the New Siberian Islands, Wrangel Island, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin. Diomede Islands is administered by Russia and the United States.
  • Rivers: Lake Baikal - world's deepest, purest, oldest and fresh water lake, containing over one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water. Ladoga and Onega islands. The Volga in western Russia, is the longest river in Europe; other rivers are Ob, Yenisey, Lena, and Amur in Siberia.

 

 

Significance of Indo-Russian Relationship to India

 

Strategic Advantage

  •  Russia possesses strategic bombers and has veto power in the UNSC, acting as a counterweight against global hegemony.
  • Russia has effectively countered China and Pakistan's attempts to undermine India's territorial integrity in the past.
  •  The Soviet Union and Russia have historically supported India on the Kashmir issue, while India has maintained a balanced position on Ukraine.
  • Russia's support is crucial for India's aspirations for permanent membership in the UN Security Council, inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, technology control regimes, and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
  •  Russia can provide access to Central Asian Republics rich in resources like Uranium, Oil & Gas.
  •  Russia has contributed to the development of India's nuclear, defense, space, and heavy industry sectors and has been a friend during critical moments, such as the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.

 

Defence Procurement

  •  India has imported over $36 billion worth of arms from Russia, accounting for more than 70% of its total imports between 1992 and 2015.
  •  India's only nuclear submarine, INS Chakra, is leased from Russia, and negotiations for leasing another Akula class nuclear submarine are in the final stages.
  • Russia supports India in building an indigenous defense sector through technology transfer and joint R&D.
  •  Russia remains a better source for easier technology transfer than the USA in terms of material technologies and strategic raw materials inheritance.

Energy

  •  India's relations with Russia are important to meet its increasing energy demands, as it lacks direct access to energy-rich Central Asian Republics.
  •  India has made investments in energy projects like Sakhalin I to increase its energy imports from Russia.
  • Russia's nuclear technology is essential for India to achieve its renewable energy targets.

 

 

Some Recent Challenges for India-Russia Ties

  • India needs to reduce its defense supplies from Russia as part of defense modernization, and diversification and to avoid USA sanctions under CAATSA.
  • India and Russia have an annual summit at the leaders’ level, where the Indian PM and the Russian President visit each other’s country every alternate year.
  • However, after the war in Ukraine broke out, the Indian PM did not travel to Russia for the annual summit in 2022 and Putin could not come for the G20 summit in Delhi in September last year.
  • While it is the Indian PM's turn to visit Russia for the annual summit, the visit didn’t take place last year. The last summit was held in 2021 in Delhi, during Putin’s visit.

 

Way Forward

  • India should conclude visible, high-value defense deals with Russia and maintain a strong military relationship.
  •  India's potential participation in the Eurasian Economic Union can benefit all members of the grouping.
  • A new rupee-rouble payment mechanism should be established to facilitate trade in local currencies, bypass US sanctions, and enhance competitiveness.
  • Mutually beneficial trilateral cooperation between Russia, China, and India (RIC) should be promoted to reduce mistrust between India and China.
  • India and Russia should work together to achieve stability and security in Afghanistan through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
  • Russia should seize the opportunity to become a major player in India's defense market as part of the "Make in India" initiative.