The India-Russia summit, which concluded in Moscow on Saturday, and at which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made an emphatic point about the utility, execution and expansion of the Russia-assisted Koodankulam nuclear power project, underlines the unerring durability of the ties between the two countries. The value of the relationship for both has transcended changes of government in New Delhi and the changed character of the state from communist to capitalist in Moscow. There were contretemps in Russia when the switch-over to capitalism was in progress, but the dispelling of doubts was swift as the new masters in the Kremlin looked around their region and the globe.
India’s continued pairing with Russia on a range of issues — to do with national security on the political as well as the hardware side, science and technology, and now possibly the education sector in terms of the understanding reached at the just-ended summit — plays a role of balance at a time when India’s relations have been fruitfully advanced with the West, especially the United States. Anxieties in the minds of not a few that America is invading every sphere of policymaking in this country appear misplaced when the significance of the Russian connection is understood in its widest meaning. The coming into being of the BRICS bloc in international affairs in recent years further cements India-Russia relations, which are not bedevilled by irritants in the bilateral sphere.
The political richness that had marked ties between India and the erstwhile Soviet Union is perhaps history, simply because the world has moved on from a specific conjuncture in time. But two wide areas remain that can be further tapped for the deepening of relations with Russia — exploring the vast economic and trade potential between the two countries, which is way below the levels that obtained in the Soviet period; and arriving at a commonality of purpose in addressing issues relating to the region that comprehends Afghanistan and Central Asia. The first did appear to be raised at a substantive level, with Dr Singh making specific suggestions in the course of his talks with President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The two sides desire to double their trade volume to $20 billion over a four-year period, for the present trade levels are a travesty. It is important that the private sector in both countries be afforded the opportunity for wider responsibilities.
As for the second, India and Russia need to approach the issue with some care as to its potential, and also the sensitivities of others. But there can be no question that a post-Nato Afghanistan must not be permitted to be overrun by Pakistan through any proxies. The strategic space between India and Russia merits expansion.