Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist October 2019 | Page 17

India and Russia
Two decades of Strategic Dialogue and Partnership
Amb Anil Trigunayat*
I
n the middle of 1999, Vladimir Putin, the then Director
of the Federal Security Service (FSB) was appointed the
Prime Minister by the ailing and drinking Boris Yeltsin-
maverick of the Russian history. Within six months, before
the year ended, Putin took the reins as the President of the
uncertain Russian Federation. Russians put great faith in
him to bring back their lost pride and prosperity.
Russians have suffered a great deal but have a
proud history and are a people who despite the odds
and adversity remained resolute in their loyalty to the
fatherland especially in the wake of the suff erings during
the sunset of the Soviet Union. Putin the strong man was
the beacon of hope for them. Fortunately, I happened to
be posted to Moscow during that period and witnessed the
unfolding of history not only for the Russians but also for
the India-Russia relations. Bilateral relations had taken a
toll since both were vainly trying their luck with the west
and eventually got disenchanted. Putin had his mind and
resolve to not only retrieve the pride of the Russians but
also to take the India-Russia camaraderie to a new and
strategic level and possibly was singularly responsible for
catapulting it to a higher orbit. He meant business.
When late AB Vajpayee was the Prime Minister the
two sides agreed to have Annual Summits alternately
in Moscow and Delhi. All the other mechanisms were
galvanized to feed their result-oriented outcomes into
the Summit so that the leaders could take stock of the
situation and give directions to implement decisions for
the desired course of action. The special and privileged
strategic partnership enriched further in the critical areas of
Security - Defence, Space, Nuclear Energy, Hydrocarbons
& Energy security. It was then that for the fi rst time Indian
ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) was able to secure 20
percent of the stakes in one of the biggest Sakhalin oil
blocs of Rosneft. Since then for almost a decade and a half,
India tried to repeat this feat but success eluded until 2017
when once again Indian private sector ESSAR was able
to work in the hydrocarbons sector as Russian economy
began to face the eff ects of western sanctions. Russian
forays into the nuclear energy sector in India also began
to expand during this period.
Even though India and Russia have become
complementary and natural partners the normal trade and
investments between the two countries have remained far
below potential. It has once again become the focus of the
recent visit of PM Modi for the 20th Annual Summit and
5th Far Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). Putin invited
Modi as the Chief Guest (September 4-5) to Vladivostok,
where India was the fi rst country to open a Consulate. While
strategic cooperation in defence and security including
space and nuclear areas remain the bedrock of the bilateral
relations the real eff ort has been made to match it in the
economic domain. The longish Joint Statement issued and
the optics between the two leaders who during this year
met four times and often talk on phone underscores the
sincerity of purpose and intent. This time the salience and
the intensity appears more determined in so far as economic
and trade cooperation is concerned. In the matrix of South-
North cooperation, PM Modi announced the fi rst-ever Line
of Credit of US $1 bn for a developed country, which is
region-specifi c in accordance with his new coinage ‘Act
Far East’ policy. This is a facilitating carrot and mechanism
for the investors and projects including in the Small and
Medium Enterprises (SME) sector.
The region has acquired much greater salience in the
context of Arctic explorations and new trade and energy
routes hence shipping lanes from Chennai to Vladivostok
are being explored. In the early 1990s, the enthusiastic
Indian diamond merchants like Rajesh Gandhi of Choron
Diamonds had reached Yakutia (one of the coldest
regions) with his Gujarati polishers to hone the Russian
diamonds in his Joint venture. So did the Indian pharma
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 10 • October 2019, Noida • 17