India- Russia engagement

Indian Prime Minister Sri Narendra Mody was in Brazil for BRICS annual meeting and on the side

lines of the summit both Sri Mody and Sri` Vladimir Putin had a meeting. The meeting lasted for about 40 minutes and both leaders resolved to expand the strategic partnership between India and Russia in the coming months.  In December Putin would be visiting India and Sri Narendra Mody has urged Putin to visit the Kundankulam nuclear power plant in South India.

After the cold war era India’s engagements with Russia were, more or less, limited to trade and commerce alone free of any love for socialist ideology as was before in the Nehru- Indira Gandhi period. Although Russia cannot be called a socialist country now the communists and socialists in India would like Russia for doing business other than with the U S The B J P also prefers a deeper relation with Russia. Sri Mody said that Russia stood first in India’s foreign policy engagements.   India is not without problems with Russia too on a couple of issues like the civil liability clause of Koodankulam nuclear power plant and India’s failure to secure investment of Russian Telecom company, ,Systema Shyam Tele services Ltd ( comprising a couple of Billions) However those issues are thought not to eclipse close engagements for India.

In the case of Pakistan the question is of mutual trust, even while the Prime Minister Nawas Sharif speaks of Pakistan’s abiding friendship with India, Pakistan soldiers violate ceasefire against India and the P.M .takes little action to curb it. The words do not go along with the deeds confusing things. However, Prime Minister Sri Mody is engaging Pakistan also in spite of the long wish list for India from Pakistan before achieving a true friendship.  .

As for the U S, the Visa issue of Sri. Narendra Mody proved that U S Government is prone to the manipulations of pressure groups in that country, while the mistreatment on diplomat Khobragade on account of her alleged underpayment of wages to her Filipina maid made clear how insensitively often things are handled by the U S foreign office. Although those incidents can be termed as minor hick-ups in the broad engagements of two nations fact remains that some actions take time to heal completely.

In the circumstance it would not be surprising if India makes efforts for a lasting friendship with Russia in the coming days. Mr Vladimir Putin is often characterised as an autocrat, yet he is quite friendly with Heads of States he likes to get engaged with and in the case of Sri Narendra Mody both persons seem to have developed a liking each other.

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