At a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, a number of agreements in the
fields of energy, trade and defense can be expected to be signed. Indian
Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar announced this in an interview
with Izvestia. India is actively working to deepen ties with the Russian
Far East, he said, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the
preparation of a feasibility study for the Eastern Sea Corridor
(Chennai-Vladivostok), which will expand bilateral trade between the
countries along the sea route, is nearing completion. On the eve of the
summit of the leaders of the two countries on December 6, the head of
Indian diplomacy explained what the decision to create a "2 + 2" format
with Russia was based on, and also spoke about the interaction of the
two countries in the Afghan direction and in the fight against
coronavirus.
1.
On the eve of the current summit, Russia and India will launch the
first 2+2 dialogue between the foreign and defense ministers of the two
countries. What motivated the need for such a format, given that the
two countries already have fruitful cooperation both on the military
front and through the ministries of foreign Affairs?
- The 2+2 Dialogue was announced following the telephone conversation
between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin on April 28, 2021.
India and Russia, being close strategic partners, have a dialogue with a
broad and complex agenda. The establishment of a new format will provide a
suitable platform to discuss inter-related and cross-cutting issues.
2.
India currently has a 2+2 dialog with Australia, Japan and the US, and
Russia will only be the fourth country with which it will have such an
engagement. How the news was met among India’s QUAD allies, were there
any concerns raised?
- Like many large nations, India pursues an independent foreign policy.
Relations with its partner countries stand on their own merit. The decision
to create a 2+2 format with Russia was based on our mutual desire to
strengthen our Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership. That should
be evident to the rest of the world.
3.
At the leaders’ summit, the two sides are expected to finalize a number
of agreements in the fields of defense, trade and investment, and
science and technology. Would kindly elaborate more concretely on the
most important agreements that are to be signed?
- Yes, a number of bilateral Agreements and MoUs on important areas,
including energy, trade and investment, defence, cultural cooperation and
people-to-people ties are expected to be finalised for the Bilateral Summit
on December 6, 2021.
4.
Two major defense deals awaiting conclusion are the AK-203 assault
rifles and the Igla-S very short range air defense systems. Do you
expect these deals will see progress at the summit?
- India-Russia cooperation in defence has long been an integral part of our
strategic partnership. It is steadily transforming into one involving
greater joint production and research in line with our policy of a
self-reliant India. We have been adapting to these changes both in our
respective national circumtances and the global situation. The specific
details of agreements and contracts will be released by the Ministry of
Defence.
5.
The visit of Prime Minister Modi to Vladivostok in 2019 served as an
impetus for the formation of a new Indian policy "Act in the Far East",
which gives priority to interregional cooperation. Has the coronavirus
become a hindrance in its development ?
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vladivostok in 2019 reinvigorated
our inter-regional cooperation with Russia, particularly the Russian Far
East. It was there that he launched India’s Act Far East Policy with a
clear intention of engaging with the region intensively. Our two countries
have been working together to explore opportunities for joint collaboration
in various sectors. We are also working towards expansion of our trade with
the region. In the first half of 2021, that has increased significantly
compared to the same period last year. Both our leaders put special
emphasis on developing ties between different states of India and regions
of the Far East.
Despite Covid-19 pandemic, we have been actively working with Russia to
deepen our ties with the Far East. Following the visit of PM to Vladivostok
in 2019, there have been a series of high-level visits including the visits
by two successive Ministers of Petroleum & Natural Gas to Vladivostok –
the recent one being at the Eastern Economic Forum 2021 in September. This
year, India had the largest physical delegation from any country at the
Forum. Prime Minister also addressed the Plenary Session which was attended
by President Putin, where he highlighted India’s abiding interest in
engaging constructively and substantially with the Russian Far East.
President Putin acknowledged the concept of “Sangam” (implying, according
to Narendra Modi's definition, that Vladivostok is the place of the
"confluence" of Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific region - Izvestia).
Further, we have continued to put systems and institutions in place to
enhance our engagement with the region. We have commissioned an economic
feasibility study of the Eastern Maritime Corridor to analyse enhancing
bilateral trade through the maritime route, which is nearing completion. We
continue to maintain close contact with the regions of the Far East through
a series of virtual meetings. Recently, Government of Gujarat also extended
invitations to the Governors of the Russian Far East to attend the Vibrant
Gujarat Summit next year. This is a clear signal of our continued interest
in engagement with the Far East.
6.
Before the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, Russia and India
differed significantly in their attitude to the movement. How close are
the views of the two countries on what is happening in this country
now? And what specific areas of cooperation do New Delhi and Moscow
have with regard to the Afghan issue?
- The recent developments in Afghanistan have a direct impact on the region
and our respective interests. Terrorism, regional instability, drug
trafficking, humanitarian assistance, etc. are common concerns which can be
tackled only through joint efforts. So, it is only natural that India and
Russia cooperate closely. In August, 2021, our leaders agreed on creating a
permanent consultative mechanism between India and Russia headed by
national security advisers (Ajit Doval from the Indian side and Nikolai
Patrushev from the Russian side.). It’s first meeting was held in
September. India officially participated in the Moscow Format Meeting on
Afghanistan. Likewise, we saw participation of Secretary of Russian
Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, in the Delhi Regional Security
Dialogue. So, our engagement is on-going.
7.
India and Russia have already established good cooperation in the field
of vaccines against COVID-19 and Sputnik V vaccine is the only one-
apart from Indian-made Covishield and Covaxin- drug available to
Indians. How popular the Russian vaccine in India?
- India and Russia have been cooperating in the fight against Covid-19
since the onset of the pandemic. Our cooperation has included humanitarian
assistance, vaccine trials and production, and repatriation of each other’s
citizens. Sputnik-V was the first foreign vaccine to have received
recognition for use in India. While its use was not extensive, the message
of international cooperation that is conveyed is an important one.
Original Source:
https://iz.ru/1259757/nataliia-portiakova/nashe-sotrudnichestvo-v-oborone-transformiruetsia-v-rasshirenie-proizvodstva
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