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| Putin’s visit –A strategic dialogue on defence, energy and technology | | | Omkar Dattatray
A visit of utmost importance of Russian President Vladimir to India scheduled for December 4 and 5 will usher a new chapter of friendship between Russia and India and will strengthen the old ties between the two countries. This visit will ensure defence, and strategic partnership between Russia and India. The eyes of the international community are set on the forthcoming visit of Russian President Putin to India. China, USA and Pakistan are feeling uneasy over the coming visit of Vladimir to India. Modi’s government and the people of India have great expectations from this visit and are anxiously waiting for this visit which will prove very productive and fruitful for both the countries. Putin will attend the 23rd Russia-India summit and it will pave the way for further cementing of the ties between the two old friends. The ministry of External Affairs said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to India from December 4 -5 for the 23rd India -Russia annual summit. The, Kremlin, in its official statement, said. ’’This visit is of great importance, as it provides an opportunity to discuss the entire extensive scope of Russia-India special and privileged strategic partnership in politics, trade, and economy, science and technology, as well as cultural and humanitarian affairs, in addition to addressing current international and the regional issues. ’’The state visit will provide an opportunity for the leadership of India and Russia to review progress in bilateral relations, set the vision for strengthening the special and privileged strategic partnership and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. Meanwhile, speaking at an industry summit in New Delhi, Defence secretary RK Singh specified that while the focus of the upcoming Russia-India Summit will be ‘’broader elements of cooperation on defence,’’ including the strategic S-400 air defence systems, there may not be immediate procurement announcements ‘’Potentially. the S-400 is not ruled out, but don’t expect any announcement during this visit. This meeting will focus on the larger defence partnership and resolving delivery delays, ’’he said. India has already signed contracts for the S-400 systems with Russia, but the deliveries have faced delays. Singh confirmed that Russia has promised to deliver the remaining equipment in the financial year 2026-27.’’We have a very large defence programme with Russia, including the existing S-400 contracts which are delayed. They have now promised to deliver the balance in the coming financial, ’’he added. Noting that the upgrade of the frontline IAF Sukhoi fighters was among the defence projects which are facing delays, the Defence Secretary said these issues will be discussed during the talks with the Russian side to expediate deliveries. The dollar 5.43 billion S-400 systems contract for five regiments was inked in 2018.As confirmed by the Armed Forces, these systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor in May, successfully targeting multiple Pakistani fighters and aircraft deep inside Pakistan. Three are already deployed along the Western and northern fronts, bordering Pakistan and China, respectively. India has received the first regiment in December 2021, while the second and third were delivered in April 2022 and October 2023, respectively. Going, by information shared by the Indian government, the acquisition was to be completed by 2023.Following the talks, a joint statement is expected to be adopted and a wide range of bilateral interdepartmental and business agreements are to be signed. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to India at the invitation of Prime minister Modi for the annual summit –which was institutionalised over two decades of ago -is timely as well as futuristic. It is given that this time -tested and trusted special and privileged strategic partnership has been a constant, amidst the global chaos, unilateralism and polarisation. In recent months hectic bilateral exchanges have been taking place to identify and finalise the outcomes and agreements during the forthcoming visit. There have traditionally been meetings of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission -IRIGC, encompassing both economic and military cooperation, and this time round as well they would have explored new areas of cooperation, especially in keeping with the 21st century economic, energy, technology, defence, and security challenges. Lags, whenever they exist, may have been addressed. New commitments are impacted by the fulfilment of previous commitments. President Putin has personally ensured that India is accorded the priority, despite the ongoing war, special operations with Ukraine. Trade and economy, technology, and tourism across a wide spectrum have provided a serious and dependable fulcrum of bilateral engagement during the past seven decades between Soviet Union/Russia. Mutual respect, mutual sensitivities and mutual interests have guided the relationships. a development that will be closely followed across Western capitals, Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to India next week on December 4-5. Putin is expected to arrive on December 4 in the evening and head into the summit with PM Narendra Modi the next morning. Several and MOU’s spanning across a range of areas are expected to be signed during the visit that will help reassert its strategic autonomy by underscoring the defence and trade partnerships with Moscow. However, the summit will also test India’s ability to navigate a delicate situation and balance competing interests as it works to ensure that the outcomes do not act as a deal -breaker in its ties with the US and EU. Putin’s visit to India assumes a special importance given the fact that this will be his first visit to India since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Unlike the last Putin travelled to India –in December 202—for the annual summit, this will be state visit during which President Droupadi Murmu will also host a banquet in his honour. While the visit allows both sides to reinforce the importance they attach to the relations between the two countries. All, said and done, the visit of Putin will take the bilateral ties between India and Russia to higher pinnacles of trust, goodwill and friendship and so there is great significance of the upcoming visit of Putin to India. |
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